- Boat Capsizes: 17 Rohingya Refugees Drown Fleeing Myanmar
- Perilous Sea Journeys: Rohingya Attempt to Reach Malaysia and Indonesia
- Ongoing Dangers: Rohingya Refugees’ Struggles for Safety and Recognition
At least 17 people drowned this week when a boat transporting Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine state capsized at sea, according to rescuers.
Each year, thousands of Rohingya from settlements in Bangladesh and Myanmar embark on perilous sea journeys in an attempt to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia.
Byar La, a rescuer from the Shwe Yaung Metta Foundation in the town of Sittwe, stated that more than 50 persons were believed to be on the boat bound for Malaysia when it encountered trouble on Sunday night due to rough seas. “As of yesterday,” he said, “we discovered seventeen dead bodies.”
“We discovered eight individuals still alive. The police have detained them for interrogation.” He stated that rescuers are still attempting to locate the unaccounted-for passengers, although the precise number on board is unknown.
It was believed that more than fifty passengers were on the boat bound for Malaysia.
A Rohingya aid worker in the township of Maungdaw on the border with Bangladesh reported that the boat had departed in bad weather and that approximately 500 people were still attempting to reach Malaysia.
Rakhine in Buddhist-Dominant Areas Myanmar is home to approximately 600,000 Rohingya Muslims. Who are regarded as Bangladeshi migrants and denied citizenship and freedom of movement.
Dangerous sea voyages
In 2022, more than 3,500 Rohingya on 39 vessels attempted to cross the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, up from 700 the previous year, according to January data from the United Nations refugee agency.
The agency stated that 348 Rohingya drowned or went missing at sea last year, calling for a regional response.
The High Commissioner for Refugees of the United Nations reports that calls for maritime authorities in the region “to rescue and disembark people in distress” have gone unanswered, even though many boats have been adrift for weeks.
Amnesty International compares the Rohingya’s living conditions in Rakhine State to “apartheid.”
In 2017, a Myanmar military crackdown drove 750,000 Rohingya fleeing Bangladesh after claims of murder, arson, and rape.
Following the widespread exodus, Myanmar is being charged with genocide by the United Nation’s highest court.
Myanmar and Bangladesh have discussed beginning the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to their native countries.
A senior US ambassador for human rights in Bangladesh said Rohingya refugees’ repatriation to Myanmar is dangerous in July.
Budget limitations forced the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to restrict Rohingya refugee camp supplies twice this year.
In May, a cyclone devastated Rakhine, and the military junta blocked international humanitarian efforts.
Since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February 2021, Myanmar has been in instability.
