180 Rohingyas that went missing in damaged boat probably dead as relatives lost contact: UNHCR

Geneva, Switzerland

Since the 2017 military crackdown on the ethnic group of Myanmar, Rohingyas, they have been running around to find a dwelling for themselves. The majority of them had run off to Bangladesh, where they have been living in crowded refugee camps. But due to the lack of work and opportunities, many of them are fleeing Bangladesh as well to other Asian countries of Indonesia, India and Malaysia.

In one such incident, it was found that at least 180 Rohingyas who were stranded at sea for weeks after leaving Bangladesh last month, might be dead, as their rickety boat is thought to have sunk this month. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said citing unconfirmed reports that the "unseaworthy" boat might have probably sank after it went missing in the sea.

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UNHCR wrote on its official Twitter account on Saturday, "Relatives have lost contact. Those last in touch presume all dead".

More than a million Rohingya refugees have been living in dilapidated refugee camps in Bangladesh since 2017, out of which, tens of thousands have fled Myanmar after its military conducted a deadly crackdown. As Myanmar is a Buddhist-majority state, most of the Rohingyas, who are ethnically Muslim are denied citizenship and are seen as illegal immigrants from South Asia. In Bangladesh too, they have been living in despair as traffickers often try to lure them to make dangerous journeys to South Asian countries with promises of work. 

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Suffering from hunger, thirst and disease, they somehow found their way through the international waters after leaving southern Bangladesh in the hope of finding food, jobs and shelter in other parts of Asia. 

Two Myanmar Rohingya activist groups reported last week that up to 20 people died of hunger or food on a boat that was en route to Malaysia and was found stranded at the sea for two weeks off India's coast. Sri Lankan navy also reported similar incidents earlier this month near their border and rescued 104 Rohingyas adrift off the Indian Ocean island's northern coast. 

Dozens of Rohingyas landed in Indonesia after a month at sea 

Meanwhile, local officials have reported that dozens of Rohingya refugees have landed at the western borders of Indonesia after being adrift at sea for a month. All of them are in a weak state due to hunger and thirst, and three of the men were taken to the hospital immediately. 

The wooden boat with 57 men on board landed on Sunday morning in Aceh province of Indonesia, local police spokesman Winardy told AFP news agency.

"The boat had a broken engine and it was carried by the wind to a shore in Ladong Village in Aceh Besar", the spokesman said.

"They said they have been drifting at sea for a month." A local immigration official told AFP the refugees would be temporarily placed at a government facility. It is not clear if they are part of a group of at least 150 Rohingya who became stranded at sea weeks ago. 

The UNHCR has urged countries in the region to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis while the refugees themselves have made appeals to the world to help and support them in their plight. 

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