(Reuters) – Dozens of ethnic Rohingya refugees had been dead or missing after a boat with about 90 individuals aboard, together with youngsters, capsized and sank in unhealthy climate off the coast of Myanmar over the weekend, based on media experiences.
More than 20 survivors had been detained by authorities in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady area, the U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia reported, citing residents within the coastal district of Shwe Taung Yan.
According to survivors, the boat, which was sure for Malaysia, bumped into hassle inside a few days after setting out from Sittwe in Myanmar’s Rakhine State on May 19, the Ayeyarwaddy Times reported.So far, at the very least 14 our bodies had been recovered, however greater than 50 individuals had been nonetheless missing, Radio Free Asia mentioned.
There are solely round 600,000 Rohingya Muslims left in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation with a protracted historical past of navy rule. Rohingya have been rendered as stateless by Myanmar, and on account of previous ethnic violence and persecution the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 148,000 of them are displaced, with many residing in camps.
A spokesman for the navy authorities didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the most recent reported tragedy involving Rohingya perishing at sea in a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 to flee a navy-led crackdown that U.N investigators have mentioned was carried out with “genocidal intent” and included mass killings and rapes.
Myanmar has denied widespread atrocities, framing the violence as a response to assaults by Rohingya militants.
The different important vacation spot for Rohingya refugees has been Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation that’s seen as sympathetic although they aren’t formally recognised there as refugees.
Some 630 Rohingya had tried sea journeys throughout the Bay of Bengal between January to May this yr, UNHCR mentioned, noting girls and youngsters made up 60% of the maritime crossings.
“The newest tragedy exhibits as soon as once more the sense of desperation being felt by Rohingya in Myanmar and within the area,” Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific, mentioned in a press release.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
