Southeast Asian nations urged to rescue 200 Rohingya stranded in sea

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia have urged ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and other countries in the region to urgently rescue a boat carrying up to 200 Rohingya refugees, including women and children.

The boat has been reportedly adrift off the coasts of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and India for weeks, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We urgently call on ASEAN member states and other countries in the region to fulfill their humanitarian obligations and launch search and rescue operations for the boat if it enters their waters, and to allow for the proper disembarkation of the refugees,” said Eva Sundari, a board member of APHR.

According to the UNHCR, dozens of people died on a boat that has been adrift on the high seas since late November, while surviving passengers lack food, water, and medication.

According to media reports and information from human rights organizations, two other boats carrying Rohingya refugees have also been adrift in the ASEAN waters over the past few weeks.

One boat carrying 154 refugees was rescued by a Vietnamese oil service vessel on Dec. 8 and handed over to the Myanmar navy, while the other boat carrying 104 refugees was rescued by the Sri Lanka navy on Dec. 18 at Kankesanturai Harbor.

In 2016 and 2017, the Rohingya were the target of brutal military operations in Myanmar, displacing over 730,000 to neighboring Bangladesh.

In these desperate conditions, many of them put themselves at the hands of unscrupulous human smugglers to seek a better life in countries like Malaysia, in extremely dangerous journeys through the Andaman Sea.

“In all likelihood, the delay in rescuing these boats has already caused untold suffering and loss of life. Any further delay is unconscionable,” said Charles Santiago, the chairperson of APHR and a former member of parliament from Malaysia.

ASEAN should also address the root causes of the tragedy, including putting pressure on the Myanmar authorities to restore Rohingya’s citizenship, and receive the refugees currently living in precarious camps in Bangladesh, read the statement.

Meanwhile, some boats reportedly left the Bangladesh coast three weeks ago carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees to move to third countries in search of better living.

Bangladesh is providing shelter to 1.2 million Rohingya refugees on its southeast coast of Cox’s Bazar since a refugee influx in 2017 due to a Myanmar military crackdown.

Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazar told Anadolu Agency that in the last two months, 3,000 refugees have embarked on a perilous sea voyage to Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Some 161 refugees have been reported dead or missing at sea in 2022, according to UNHCR.