26 Rohingya refugees died making ‘dangerous journey’ by sea: UN – National | 24CA News
At least 26 Rohingya Muslims had died in dire situations throughout a month at open sea whereas making a harmful voyage that introduced scores of others to security in Indonesia, a U.N. company mentioned Tuesday, including there’ll probably be extra.
Exhausted ladies and kids have been amongst 185 individuals who disembarked from a rickety picket boat on Monday in a coastal village in Aceh’s Pidie district, authorities mentioned. A distressing video circulated broadly on social media confirmed the Rohingya worn out and emaciated, with many crying for assist.
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“They are very weak because of dehydration and exhaustion after weeks at sea,” mentioned native police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single title.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees mentioned that survivors advised the company that 26 individuals died throughout the lengthy journey.
One of the refugees, who recognized himself as Rosyid, advised The Associated Press that they left the refugee camp in Bangladesh on the finish of November and drifted on the open sea. He mentioned no less than “20 of us died aboard due to high waves and sick, and their bodies were thrown into the sea.”
According to UNHCR, greater than 2,000 individuals are reported to have taken dangerous sea journeys within the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal this 12 months, and practically 200 have reportedly died.
UNHCR has additionally acquired unconfirmed experiences of 1 extra boat with some 180 individuals nonetheless lacking, with all passengers presumed useless.
“In the absence of an immediate, resourceful, and coordinated response by regional governments to help Rohingya refugees still aboard imperiled vessels, lives may be lost,” Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid mentioned in an assertion. “This is unacceptable.”
Chris Lewa, the director of the Arakan Project, which works in assist of Myanmar’s Rohingya, mentioned the most recent arrivals have been amongst 5 teams of Rohingya who had left refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh by smaller boats to keep away from detection by native coast guards earlier than they have been transferred onto 5 bigger boats for his or her respective journeys.
More than 1 million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar over a number of a long time, together with about 740,000 who crossed the border beginning in August 2017, when the Myanmar navy launched a brutal crackdown.
Myanmar’s safety forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and torching 1000’s of properties, and worldwide courts are reviewing costs of genocide towards them.
“This year could be one of the deadliest in recent memory for Rohingya people making the dangerous journey by sea. They continue to risk it all because of harsh conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh, where security and other living conditions have deteriorated, and the ever-worsening situation at home in Myanmar, which has been under military rule since a coup almost two years ago,” Amnesty International’s Usman mentioned.
Malaysia has been a typical vacation spot for most of the refugees arriving by boat, however in addition they have been detained within the nation. Engine troubles make others search security in Aceh province in Indonesia, on the way in which to Malaysia.
UNHCR praised authorities and Indonesia’s local people who introduced ashore greater than 200 determined Rohingya, lots of whom have been in want of pressing medical consideration.
Indonesian fishermen and native authorities rescued and disembarked two teams, 58 on Sunday and 174 on Monday, mentioned Ann Maymann, the UNHCR consultant in Indonesia, “We welcome this act of humanity by local communities and authorities in Indonesia.”
Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press author Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
