Only 87 Survivors Out of 514 Passengers
Sea Escapes Driven by Hardship in Refugee Camps
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that two boats carrying Rohingya refugees, which departed from refugee camps in Bangladesh, have sunk in succession, resulting in more than 400 refugees dead or missing. As attempts by Rohingya refugees to escape by sea continue, there are growing concerns about large-scale casualties.
According to AP and AFP news agencies on May 24, the UNHCR stated, "Due to the harsh living conditions in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, an increasing number of refugees are risking their lives to cross the sea," and added, "Just this month, there have been two major maritime disasters."
Rohingya refugees walking through a market inside a refugee camp located in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo by AP Yonhap News
According to a United Nations investigation, on May 9, a boat carrying 267 Rohingya refugees sank while heading toward Rakhine State in Myanmar. In this incident, 66 people were rescued, while the remaining passengers are missing. The following day, on May 10, another boat traveling a similar route sank, and only 21 out of 247 people survived.
Babar Baloch, spokesperson for the UNHCR, said, "Reports are coming in, but the situation on the ground is so dire that it is extremely difficult to confirm what has happened," expressing deep concern that hundreds of lives may have been lost.
The Rohingya have been persecuted for decades in Myanmar, where the majority of the population is Buddhist, because they are Muslim. In particular, in 2017, a brutal military operation by the Myanmar military resulted in the massacre of thousands and forced about one million people to flee across the border into Bangladesh. The United Nations has described this as a textbook example of 'ethnic cleansing.'
Off the coast of West Aceh, Indonesia, Rohingya refugees clinging to an overturned boat are waiting for rescue as rescuers throw ropes. Photo by AP Yonhap News
However, life in the refugee camps set up in Bangladesh is also harsh, leading some refugees to seek a better life by heading to countries such as Malaysia or Indonesia, especially between October and March when the sea is relatively calm. However, these dangerous escapes using old wooden boats have frequently resulted in disasters. In particular, the Bay of Bengal, which they are currently crossing, is notorious for heavy rains and high waves starting in May with the onset of the monsoon season, making maritime travel during this period extremely dangerous.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
