More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats disappeared in rough conditions off the country’s coast, according to two UN migration bodies.
Refugee Crisis
The vessels reportedly departed from Myanmar’s western Rakhine State in late June and were carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, a stateless Muslim ethnic minority group from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, who have faced decades of state-sponsored persecution, violence and what the US has classified as genocide.
The Rohingya have been making perilous sea journeys on rickety boats to flee the violence. Many refugees continue to make these journeys outside of the “regular sailing season,” when sea conditions are more dangerous. Recent heavy rainfall and flooding across the region have made the trip even more risky.
The reports of the capsized boats have yet to be officially confirmed, but the IOM and UNHCR said they are “gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.” Nearly 300 people have already died or been reported missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal so far this year.
The agencies called for stronger regional and international efforts to prevent further deaths “along one of the world’s deadliest maritime routes,” including through “enhanced search and rescue efforts, access to asylum and protection, and actions against smuggling and trafficking networks.”
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
