More than 500 people, believed to be predominantly Rohingya refugees, are feared to have died after two boats reportedly disappeared or sank off Myanmar’s coast in late June and early July.
According to UN agencies, the vessels left Rakhine State carrying people fleeing conflict, persecution and worsening humanitarian conditions, including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
The reported incidents come amid dangerous monsoon-season sea conditions and highlight the continued risks faced by Rohingya who undertake perilous journeys in search of safety.
Responding to reports that more than 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying mostly Rohingya refugees capsized off the coast of Myanmar, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said:
“These reports are a heartbreaking reminder of the increasingly desperate choices facing many Rohingya today. People do not risk their lives at sea unless the alternatives are even more unbearable. Decades of persecution, statelessness, conflict and severe humanitarian hardship have left many with nowhere safe to turn.
“These sea journeys are always perilous, but the fact that they are happening during the monsoon season when sailing conditions are rougher than normal further highlights the risks people are willing to take to escape the dire conditions in both the Bangladesh refugee camps and in the Rohingya homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
“In Bangladesh, Rohingya families lack aid, education and proper shelter, while also facing forced recruitment by armed groups there and kidnapping for ransom by criminal gangs, trends that Amnesty International has documented through past interviews with parents and young people. In Myanmar, most of Rakhine State is now under the control of the Arakan Army, which Amnesty International and others have accused of using the Rohingya for forced labour reinforcing the apartheid-like conditions created by the Myanmar military.
“Therefore it is not surprising that these tragedies at sea continue to happen, and they only emphasize the need for durable solutions both in Bangladesh and in Myanmar. Governments across the region must strengthen search-and-rescue efforts, ensure timely access to protection for those seeking safety and work together to end the cycle of neglect that continues to put Rohingya lives at risk.”
“This should also send a message to the Bangladesh authorities and the international community to prevent repatriation. Conditions in Rakhine State are not viable for safe and dignified returns as people continue to flee the place the Bangladesh government wants to forcefully repatriate them to.”