UNHCR says time running out for stranded boat people; urges South-east Asian governments to act
Refugee agency estimates that nearly 4,000 people from Myanmar and Bangladesh remain stranded at sea with dwindling supplies on board.
GENEVA, May 19 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Tuesday warned that time was running out for thousands of people in distress at sea and urged governments in the South-east Asia region to urgently rescue and disembark these vulnerable people.
"We estimate that nearly 4,000 people from Myanmar and Bangladesh remain stranded at sea with dwindling supplies on board. This includes some 2,000 men, women and children stranded on at least five boats near the Myanmar-Bangladesh coasts for more than 40 days. Unconfirmed reports suggest the number could be higher," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.
In Myanmar, several hundred people have abandoned their journeys and returned to Rakhine state after paying smugglers on board an average of 200,000 to 300,000 kyat (US$182-US$273) each for re-entry. Their reports of food shortages, dehydration and violence on board are consistent with reports from arrivals in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Since the weekend there have been no new reports of landings elsewhere in the region. In the last nine days, a total of 1,396 people have landed in Indonesia, 1,107 in Malaysia and 106 in southern Thailand.
Edwards said that in Indonesia's Aceh province, where UNHCR is registering Rohingya arrivals at Langsa, survivors have spoken of being abandoned by the crew and left adrift for days until approached by authorities whom they were unable to identify.
These officials provided food and water before pushing their boat away. "As supplies ran low, a fight broke out between passengers, resulting in deaths and people being thrown overboard. UNHCR cannot verify these claims, but has sought medical attention for the wounded among this group," the spokesman said.
In Malaysia, some arrivals currently in detention in Kedah state told UNHCR they were kidnapped or lured by false promises to board the smugglers' boats. They knew of other passengers who died at sea as a result of beatings by the crew, starvation and illness.
Given such accounts, as well as disembarking such boats, UNHCR has sought - with the governments in South-east Asia - urgent medical attention, assistance and protection. Those who have returned to Myanmar should be not be punished for irregular departure.
Read the Joint Statement by UNHCR, OHCHR, IOM and SRSG for Migration and Development.
Related news and stories
UNHCR statement on Bangladesh, Myanmar bilateral pilot project on Rohingya returns
UNHCR, partners seek $876m for Rohingya refugees facing 'chilling fog of uncertainty' and for Bangladeshi hosts
UNHCR seeks comprehensive regional response to address rise in deadly South-East Asia sea journeys
UNHCR urges States to act now to save lives in the Andaman Sea
Rohingya Refugees are using their power to stop gender based violence
Young Rohingya volunteers confront gender-based violence in crowded Bangladesh camps
Your search for « Myanmar » matched 3031 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 32 of 112 pages.
-
UN High Commissioner for Refugees concludes visit to Myanmar
24 May 2019 ... YANGON, Myanmar – The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded his five-day visit to Myanmar on Friday, committing to continued UNHCR engagement to support displaced people and ...... -
Statement from Myanmar
18 Dec 2019 ... -
UNHCR steps up aid for displaced in Myanmar as conflict intensifies
11 Feb 2022 ... of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Myanmar as their number crossed the 800,000 mark – ... Humanitarian access in many parts of Myanmar remains restricted due to insecurity, roadblocks and ...... -
Former Special Envoy Angelina Jolie
... One Year On: Angelina Jolie-Pitt Revisits Syrian Refugee Family Iraq: Angelina Jolie Visits Displaced Iraqis Thailand: Angelina Jolie visits refugees from Myanmar Angelina Jolie's Journals & Books ...... -
A big welcome for Asian refugees from a small village in Bohemia
30 Jun 2009 ... In his native Myanmar, cherries don't grow on trees. A lot of things are different in this village in the Czech Republic from Myanmar and tropical Malaysia, where eight-year-old Dal and his ethnic ...... -
Q&A: Bangladeshi photographer dedicates life to changing lives of others
16 Jun 2010 ... This week his photographs of refugees from Myanmar's northern Rakhine State - an ethnic, linguistic ... The very basic story of the Rohingya, the way they are treated in Myanmar, the way they are beaten, ...... -
Refugees Magazine Issue 107 (Refugee voices from exile) - Back in Myanmar
1 Mar 1997 ... The largest repatriation programme in Asia as 250,000 Muslims return to Myanmar from Bangladesh. Myanmar's northern Rakhine State is one of the most inhospitable parts of Asia. Most of the tropical ...... -
Local groups offer vital assistance to newly displaced in Myanmar
22 Jul 2021 ... the sounds of artillery and gunfire as the Myanmar Armed Forces, locally known as the Tatmadaw, ... That all changed in 2021. Following a military takeover on 1 February, Myanmar was plunged into a ...... -
Bangladesh: Refugee camp capacity exhausted; thousands in makeshift shelters
8 Sep 2017 ... The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar who have faced discrimination and extreme ... The Rohingya fleeing Myanmar are now stateless refugees, making them even more vulnerable and adding ......