6-12-2023 (BANGKOK) The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has issued a distress call concerning approximately 400 Rohingya refugees believed to be stranded on two boats in the Andaman Sea, running critically low on supplies and facing the threat of death if not rescued.
Babar Baloch, the regional spokesperson for the UNHCR based in Bangkok, expressed grave concern, stating, “There are about 400 children, women, and men looking death in the eye if there are no moves to save these desperate souls.”
The vessels are thought to have set sail from Bangladesh and have been adrift at sea for approximately two weeks, according to Baloch.
The captain of one of the boats, identified as Maan Nokim, conveyed a dire situation in a conversation with the Associated Press (AP) on Saturday. Nokim reported having 180 to 190 people on board, with depleted food and water supplies, and a damaged engine. He fears for the lives of everyone on board without immediate assistance.
As of Sunday, Nokim stated that the boat was located 320km from Thailand’s west coast. However, a Thai navy spokesperson contacted on Monday claimed to have no information about the boats. The reported location is approximately the same distance from Indonesia’s Aceh province, where another boat carrying 139 people landed on Sabang Island off the tip of Sumatra on Saturday, as noted by Baloch.
The group on Sabang Island comprises 58 children, 45 women, and 36 men, reflecting the typical demographic balance of those undertaking perilous sea journeys. This seasonal exodus of Rohingya refugees, often escaping squalid and overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, has intensified due to food ration cuts and increased gang violence in the camps.
Since August 2017, about 740,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to seek refuge in camps in Bangladesh, following a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in mass rapes, killings, and the destruction of Rohingya homes. International courts are currently deliberating whether these actions constitute genocide.
Facing dire conditions, many refugees attempt to reach Malaysia by sea. Thailand, however, often turns away or detains incoming boats, while Indonesia, another common destination, places refugees in detention.
Baloch warned that without immediate assistance for the two boats adrift, the world could witness another tragedy akin to the December 2022 incident when a boat with 180 people went missing, marking one of the darkest episodes in the region. The urgent plea highlights the need for swift international intervention to prevent further loss of life among the Rohingya refugees at sea.
