Naypyidaw, Myanmar. Two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off Myanmar’s coast in recent days, UN agencies said Thursday, raising concerns over a potentially devastating loss of life among Rohingya refugees and migrants.
The vessels reportedly left Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June, carrying mostly ethnic minority Rohingya passengers, including some believed to have travelled from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Reported incidents
The International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said preliminary information indicated that a boat carrying about 250 people lost contact shortly after departure.
A second vessel, carrying about 280 people, was believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Irrawaddy coast on July 8, the agencies said.
“While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
Dangerous maritime route
The agencies said the journeys took place outside the regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous.
Rohingya refugees have for years taken dangerous journeys on wooden vessels, seeking safety and livelihoods in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. They have been driven by violence in Myanmar and difficult conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal last year, making it the world’s deadliest maritime route for refugees and migrants, according to the UN.
Rohingya displacement
The mass exodus of Rohingya from Rakhine began in 2017, after the Myanmar military launched an offensive in the border province. At least 730,000 people sought shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Myanmar denies committing abuses against the Rohingya and does not recognise them as citizens, describing the minority group as illegal immigrants.
Their situation has been further affected by Myanmar’s 2021 military coup and the ensuing civil war, which has spread to Rakhine. Rohingya communities have been caught between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army.