15 Rohingyas drown as boat heading for KL sinks in Bay

At least 15 Rohingya refugees have died and dozens more are unaccounted for after their overcrowded wooden boats heading for Malaysia sank off the coast of St. Martin's Island in the Bay of Bengal. The Navy headquarters stated that out of the 15 deceased, 12 were women and three children. A total of 72 Rohingya refugees from the boat have been rescued alive and 51 others remain missing so far at the time of filing this report at 5pm. Among the rescued persons, 24 were men and 46 women. The boat was carrying a total of 138 persons.

Lieutenant Naim Ul Haque, station commander of the Coast Guard of St Martin Island, told The Independent that the rescue work was going on in full swing. “We have deployed two helicopters, four speedboats, and some local boats to find out the missing

persons,” he said.

“We have handed over the rescued persons to the Teknaf Coast Guard station from where they will be handed over to Teknaf police station,” he added.

Naim also said the victims, mostly women, are residents of different Rohingya camps located in Teknaf and Ukhia upazila of Cox’s Bazar, said Naim. As per the information received so far, a total of 138 people, mainly women and children, were packed into one fishing trawler that was trying to get across the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia.

The trawler capsized in the Bay around 7m yesterday after hitting a stone, he added.

The boat, barely 13 metres (40 feet) long, was attempting the hazardous 2,000-km journey before the rainy season. Many of the nearly one million Rohingya, who have taken shelter in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, have tried to reach Malaysia by boat.

“We have found parts of the capsized boat. All the passengers were mainly from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. We will continue our operation,” said Naim.

Kamal Hossain, one of rescued persons, told The Independent that they were lured by middlemen who painted them a rosy picture of Malaysia. “I live in the Kutupalong camp. I was told that a trawler bound to Malaysia will leave from Noakhalipara in a few days. Some of us surreptitiously left the camp and went to Noakhliapara. We were kept in small hut for five days,” he said.

“On late Monday night, we were told that the trawler was ready. We got on board around 1 am. The boat ran for more than seven hours. Around 7 am, we faced inclement weather in the sea. At one point, the boat hit a stone and water started pouring in from the lower portion,” he added.

Those on the boat were hoping to reach Malaysia were being aided by human traffickers, Noor Ahmed, the top elected official on the island, told The Associated Press news agency.

Malaysia is the favoured destination of Rohingyas as it is a Muslim majority nation and has a sizeable Rohingya diaspora. With only a few opportunities for jobs and education in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, thousands have attempted to reach other countries in Southeast Asia. Since last year, Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies have picked up more than 500 Rohingyas from coastal villages and boats as they waited to board boats.

At least seven suspected traffickers were shot dead in 2019 in clashes with the police. Trafficking often increases during the November-March period when the sea remains calm for small fishing trawlers used in risky trips.

An estimated 25,000 Rohingyas left Bangladesh and Myanmar on boats in 2015 trying to get to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Hundreds drowned as overloaded boats sank.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UNHCR in a statement said that they “are closely liaising with Government of Bangladesh’s first responders to the tragic boat capsizing off the coast of St Martins Island in the Bay of Bengal.”

“UNHCR and IOM are saddened by this tragic loss of life, and together with our other UN and NGO partners, are standing by to offer assistance to the government in responding to the needs of the survivors, be it food, shelter or medical aid,” the statement mentions.

The statement also says irregular boat movements are not new to Cox’s Bazar district as both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis risk unsafe trips to travel abroad due to compelling circumstances. “Recognising the dangers they face at sea, the UN has been working with government authorities to raise awareness among refugees and local people on the risks they may face. The UN is also supporting the strengthening of law enforcement capacities to address smuggling and trafficking and to protect those most at risk.  Support is also available in the district to trafficking survivors,” it notes.

 

15 Rohingyas drown as boat heading for KL sinks in Bay

At least 15 Rohingya refugees have died and dozens more are unaccounted for after their overcrowded wooden boats heading for Malaysia sank off the coast of St. Martins Island in the Bay of Bengal. The Navy headquarters stated that out of the 15 deceased, 12 were women and three children. A total of 72 Rohingya refugees from the boat have been rescued alive and 51 others remain missing so far at the time of filing this report at 5pm. Among the rescued persons, 24 were men and 46 women. The boat was carrying a total of 138 persons. Lieutenant Naim Ul Haque, station commander of the Coast Guard of St Martin Island, told The Independent that the rescue work was going on in full swing. We have deployed two helicopters, four speedboats, and some local boats to find out the missing persons, he said. We have handed over the rescued persons to the Teknaf Coast Guard station from where they will be handed over to Teknaf police station, he added. Naim also said the victims, mostly women, are residents of different Rohingya camps located in Teknaf and Ukhia upazila of Coxs Bazar, said Naim. As per the information received so far, a total of 138 people, mainly women and children, were packed into one fishing trawler that was trying to get across the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia. The trawler capsized in the Bay around 7m yesterday after hitting a stone, he added. The boat, barely 13 metres (40 feet) long, was attempting the hazardous 2,000-km journey before the rainy season. Many of the nearly one million Rohingya, who have taken shelter in overcrowded refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, have tried to reach Malaysia by boat. We have found parts of the capsized boat. All the passengers were mainly from the refugee camps in Coxs Bazar. We will continue our operation, said Naim. Kamal Hossain, one of rescued persons, told The Independent that they were lured by middlemen who painted them a rosy picture of Malaysia. I live in the Kutupalong camp. I was told that a trawler bound to Malaysia will leave from Noakhalipara in a few days. Some of us surreptitiously left the camp and went to Noakhliapara. We were kept in small hut for five days, he said. On late Monday night, we were told that the trawler was ready. We got on board around 1 am. The boat ran for more than seven hours. Around 7 am, we faced inclement weather in the sea. At one point, the boat hit a stone and water started pouring in from the lower portion, he added. Those on the boat were hoping to reach Malaysia were being aided by human traffickers, Noor Ahmed, the top elected official on the island, told The Associated Press news agency. Malaysia is the favoured destination of Rohingyas as it is a Muslim majority nation and has a sizeable Rohingya diaspora. With only a few opportunities for jobs and education in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, thousands have attempted to reach other countries in Southeast Asia. Since last year, Bangladeshs law enforcement agencies have picked up more than 500 Rohingyas from coastal villages and boats as they waited to board boats. At least seven suspected traffickers were shot dead in 2019 in clashes with the police. Trafficking often increases during the November-March period when the sea remains calm for small fishing trawlers used in risky trips. An estimated 25,000 Rohingyas left Bangladesh and Myanmar on boats in 2015 trying to get to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Hundreds drowned as overloaded boats sank. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UNHCR in a statement said that they are closely liaising with Government of Bangladeshs first responders to the tragic boat capsizing off the coast of St Martins Island in the Bay of Bengal. UNHCR and IOM are saddened by this tragic loss of life, and together with our other UN and NGO partners, are standing by to offer assistance to the government in responding to the needs of the survivors, be it food, shelter or medical aid, the statement mentions. The statement also says irregular boat movements are not new to Coxs Bazar district as both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis risk unsafe trips to travel abroad due to compelling circumstances. Recognising the dangers they face at sea, the UN has been working with government authorities to raise awareness among refugees and local people on the risks they may face. The UN is also supporting the strengthening of law enforcement capacities to address smuggling and trafficking and to protect those most at risk. Support is also available in the district to trafficking survivors, it notes.