Boatloads of Rohingya refugees 'risking death at sea'
In the last month, around 180 refugees have tried to cross the Andaman Sea to escape persecution in Myanmar.
Monday 14 May 2018 17:22, UK
Boatloads of Rohingya could die at sea trying to flee Myanmar unless neighbouring governments step in, humanitarian workers have warned.
In the last month, around 180 refugees have tried to cross the Andaman Sea to escape persecution in Myanmar.
At least 10 are known to have died en route, while around 200 others have drowned in the Bay of Bengal trying to get to Bangladesh since August 2017.
MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) is just finishing a month-long observation mission in the area - the first humanitarian boat to carry out such work in the Andaman since more than 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in Rakhine State last year.
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Sky News spent a week on the ship as the crew searched for a boat of 36 refugees who were trying to sail from Myanmar to Malaysia, with sources confirming that the vessel became stranded after the engine broke leaving Sittwe.
Its passengers finally managed to row to safety and are now believed to be in hiding in Myanmar.
MOAS founder, Chris Catrambone, warned more will risk their lives: "We've already heard there's going to be another attempt soon by these same people, so the situation is desperate.
"People are going to flee no matter what and there needs to be some independent monitoring mechanism out at sea to be able to know what's happening to these people.
"There's not going to be a regional coastguard that is willing to accept these people and that's why MOAS is afraid they aren't going to make it."
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History has shown the Rohingya that the journey can be fatal.
In 2015, thousands attempted the crossing but many boats were stopped from landing on neighbouring shores and hundreds of people died at sea after being stranded by traffickers.
There are no confirmed figures for how many refugees have tried to escape across the Andaman this year, but at least four boats have left since April.
Of those, two were rescued by Indonesian fisherman, while a third landed in Langkawi, Malaysia, after briefly stopping in southern Thailand and being escorted back to sea by Thai authorities.
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The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed its concern at accounts by some of the passengers that their vessels were intercepted by authorities who did not disembark them to the nearest place of safety.
In a statement, it said this not only put the lives of refugees at risk, but may also contravene international maritime law.
James Lynch, the agency's regional representative and co-ordinator for Southeast Asia, said: "To prevent any further loss of life, UNHCR calls on all governments in the region to uphold their maritime obligations and the spirit of the 2016 Bali Declaration by rescuing refugees, disembarking them to the nearest places of safety, and refraining from riAG百家乐在线官网 interceptions at sea not intended to save lives.
Refugees often pay traffickers for a place on the rickety boats, risking starvation and drowning on journeys of more than a thousand nautical miles.
Rights groups warn will make the voyage even more deadly.