2023-12-02 13:55:00
The United Nations called on Saturday to rescue hundreds of Rohingya stranded aboard two broken-down ships “drifting in the Andaman Sea” off the coasts of Burma, Indonesia and Thailand.
Thousands of Rohingyas, mostly Muslims, persecuted in Burma, their predominantly Buddhist country of origin, are risking their lives in long and costly sea journeys? often on boats in poor condition? to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) launched an urgent appeal on Saturday, calling on neighboring countries “to rapidly deploy all search and rescue capabilities in response to ships in distress reported with hundreds of Rohingya on board at risk of perishing.
The agency said the two overcrowded boats, which had suffered engine failure, were “now drifting… in the Andaman Sea.”
The two boats are carrying around 400 passengers, said the UNHCR, which is concerned about a possible shortage of food and water, adding that “there is a significant risk of death in the coming days if people are not rescued and disembarked in a safe place.
The precise location of the ships is unknown. We also don’t know when and where they left.
Refugee camps in Bangladesh are home to around a million Rohingya, many of whom fled neighboring Myanmar after a 2017 military crackdown.
Despite the risks, the miserable living conditions in the overcrowded camps push many people to flee by sea.
The UNHCR appeal comes as the number of trips to Aceh province, Indonesia’s westernmost province, is on the rise with more than 1,000 arrivals since mid-November, the largest wave since the crackdown on 2017.
More than 3,500 Rohingya are believed to have attempted the risky journey to Southeast Asian countries in 2022, according to the UNHCR. Nearly 350 Rohingya died or went missing last year while attempting dangerous sea crossings, the UN estimates.
12/02/2023 12:54:09 – Bangkok (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
#calls #rescue #hundreds #Rohingya #drifting #boats