They are stuck aboard two broken-down ships “drifting in the Andaman Sea” bordering the coasts of Burma, Indonesia and Thailand.
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The precise location of the ships is unknown. The United Nations called on Saturday, December 2, to rescue hundreds of Rohingyas stuck on board two broken-down boats “drifting in the Andaman Sea” bordering the coasts of Burma, Indonesia and Thailand. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on neighboring countries “to rapidly deploy their full search and rescue capabilities in response to reported vessels in distress, with hundreds of Rohingya on board at risk of perishing”.
Thousands of Rohingya, mostly Muslims, persecuted in Burma, their Buddhist-majority country of origin, risk their lives in long and expensive sea journeys – often on boats in poor condition – to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
Around 400 passengers
The two boats are carrying around 400 passengers, said the UNHCR, which is concerned about a possible shortage of food and water on board, adding “that there is a significant risk of death in the coming days if people are not rescued and disembarked in a safe place”. According to the agency, the two overcrowded boats, which suffered engine failure, “are now drifting (…) in the Andaman Sea”. We don’t know when and where they left.
About a million Rohingya live in refugee camps in Bangladesh, many of whom fled neighboring Myanmar after a military crackdown in 2017. Despite the risks, miserable living conditions in these overcrowded camps are forcing many people to flee by sea.
