(Rangoon) More than 80 Rohingya who tried to flee to Malaysia by boat but were abandoned on the Burmese coast by their smugglers have been arrested, a source close to the security services told AFP on Saturday.
Posted at 9:22
Rohingya Muslims who live in Rakhine State in western Burma are considered by this predominantly Buddhist country as illegal aliens (including for the many families who have lived there for several generations), and are victims of of discrimination, being denied Burmese nationality as well as the rights to health or education.
The fleeing group, which also included women and children, was arrested in Mon State, where “they were hiding near a rubber farm after smugglers who had promised to take them to Malaysia left them there,” said the source, asking not to be identified for fear of prosecution.
Malaysia, with a predominantly Muslim population, is a preferred destination for Rohingyas seeking to flee persecution.
An investigation is currently underway, said the same source. If prosecuted, they could face up to two years in prison.
Authorities declined to comment on the case.
Reports as yet unverified point to another group of 120 people, found by a Myanmar Navy vessel while on a boat off Mudon, also in Mon State.
The violent crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017 forced some 750,000 of them to flee Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
Five years later, most of them are still living in camps with difficult conditions, and are increasingly poorly accepted by the local population.