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at least 21 Rohingya were refugees dead and dozens missing After a boat carrying members of myanmarhas been harassed Muslim drowned near minority ThailandMalaysia border last weekend, Malaysian Officials said.
So far, 13 survivors have been rescued, while bodies of 12 victims have been recovered. Malaysian Nine more were found in the water and the neighbor ThailandAccording to Romli Mustafa, regional head of Malaysia’s maritime agency.
Search operations are underway in rough seas covering an area of approximately 170 square nautical miles around Langkawi island.
Without life jackets, it is difficult for many people to survive even 24 hours, Mr. Romley said, adding that rescuers believe some passengers may still be trapped in the floating debris. “The weather conditions are not so favourable, but still, we are trying our level best,” he said.
myanmarRakhine state has become poor endured years of conflict, deprivation and ethnic violenceMost of it is directed against Rohingya Muslim Minority. Following a brutal military crackdown in 2017, approximately 1.3 million Rohingya They were forced to flee and are now living as refugees in neighboring Bangladesh.
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees left for Malaysia on a large ship about two weeks ago, but were moved onto two smaller boats last Thursday, according to Khairul Azhar Nooruddin, police chief on Langkawi island, where rescue operations are based.
The small boat, carrying about 70 people, sank near Langkawi the same day, while the other vessel, carrying about 230 passengers, is believed to be missing. Malaysian Officials said.
The missing include 29-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim, who crossed from Bangladesh to Malaysia without informing his family.
“He went to Malaysia without telling anyone,” he told Reuters from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
“If I had known, I would have never let him go. He has a wife, three children – a three-year-old son and 10-month-old twin girls. Who will take care of them?”
More than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, driven from their homes due to persecution and violence, now live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. Many risk dangerous sea journey to reach Malaysia Muslim-Majority nation that does not recognize refugee status but is seen as offering better prospects for work and protection.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 5,100 Rohingya refugees have attempted similar journeys myanmar And in Bangladesh alone nearly 600 people are reported dead or missing this year.
Rohingya Muslims in majority Buddhist Myanmar are viewed as foreign intruders from South Asia, denied citizenship and facing widespread abuses from both the state and largely non-Muslim ethnic militias.
“People are desperate,” said Naser Khan, a Rohingya refugee in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. “People are dying in the fighting, dying of hunger. That’s why some people think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here.”
Authorities in Malaysia said the survivors were being detained pending immigration checks, although rescue efforts continued as hopes of finding more people alive were slim.
Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher Jo Freeman said: “This latest tragedy at sea off Southeast Asia once again highlights the deadly risks faced by Rohingya Muslims attempting to flee conflict and persecution in Myanmar, as well as worsening conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
“The people who were on board the boat that capsized off the coast of Malaysia had left their homes in Rakhine state and rapidly deteriorating conditions in overcrowded and underfunded camps on the border in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
“In Myanmar, Rohingya civilians face food shortages, forced labour, arbitrary detention and restrictions on movement, while they remain caught in the conflict between the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army, which has pushed more Rohingya into camps in Bangladesh.
“During this time, US funding cuts have left Bangladesh camps lacking shelter, education services and aidPutting additional pressure on communities and forcing people to seek the dangerous alternative of escaping by boat.
“The Malaysian and Thai governments should coordinate comprehensive search and rescue operations for survivors of this tragedy and provide them with humanitarian assistance and protection from forced return to Myanmar.”
He said: “The unconscionable practice of pushing boats away from borders must end, and regional governments must ensure that any boats carrying refugees and migrants are allowed to land safely in the nearest country. ASEAN leaders must act decisively to resolve the long-standing issue of Rohingya boats at sea, as well as the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.”