Nearly 160 Roh💎ingya refugees, who have escaped from camps in Bangladesh, are now believed adrift in the Andaman Sea as their boat’s engine broke down.
One of the refugees managed to contact the Rohin🐈gya Human Rights Initiative (RHRI) and give the coordinates which showed the ship drifting southeast of t💦he Andaman Islands towards Aceh in Indonesia.
Boat outside Indian waters, headed towards Indonesia
“Since the contact was made on Wednesday, we have no news of where they have drifted… We have appealed to all agencies working with such sea-borne refugees to try and h🐓elp these people,” RHRI Director Sabber Kyaw Min told PTI over the phone.
However, RHRI’s statement could not be independently verified by either the Indian Coast Guard or Unified Andamans & Nicobaꦇr Command. The Command’s spokesperson said through WhatsApp: “We have no information.”
From the location given by RHRI, it appears that the Rohingya boat is outside Indian waters. The refugees are mostly women and children, who number 120, and 40 ad💙ult men, said Min on Friday.
A narrow escape from Bangladeshi refugee camps
The Rohingya refugees have escaped from Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp at Ukhiya in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar and Balukali, another densely populated refugee camp nearby. “The refugees are in dire need of food, water🌊 and safety,” said Min.
Speaking to PTI over the phone, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said, "There are some media reports buওt I am not aware of any such incident."
Surge in hazardous crossings
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in a statement made prophetically last week, warned of the dangers associated with such crossings. The agency said it “warns that attempts at these journeys are exposing people toꦦ grave risks and fatal consequences.”
Over 1,900 people, mostly Rohingyas, travelled ꧒by sea between January and November this year, compared to just 287 in 2021. The sea-borne refugees embarked from Myanmar and Bangladesh, according to ꦗUNHCR.
“Tragically, 119 people have be💞en reported dead or missing on these journeys, this year alone,” the agency said. Most refugees headed for Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Ro💖hingya refugees who have managed to make their way to Indonesia are mostly being kept at Lhokseumawe in Indonesia’s Aceh province.
(With inputs from PTI)
