According to Reuters on July 16th, a United Nations agency stated that recently, two ships carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar.
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cited preliminary information in a joint statement, stating that the two ships departed from Rakhine State, Myanmar at the end of June. The passengers on these ships were mostly Rohingya ethnic group members, and it is reported that some of them were Rohingya refugees from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
The statement indicates that there are concerns from the outside world regarding more than 500 deaths.
United Nations agencies stated that in the two latest incidents, the first ship carried approximately 250 people and lost contact shortly after departure; the second ship, carrying about 280 people, is believed to have sank off the coast of Irrawaddy River in Myanmar on July 8. “These voyages took place outside of the normal sailing season, during which maritime conditions are usually more severe and dangerous.”
The statement says: “Although these accidents and casualties have not yet been officially confirmed, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration express deep concern about this incident, which could lead to catastrophic loss of life.”
For many years, due to violent conflicts in their homes and poor living conditions in Bangladesh's crowded refugee camps, the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar has risked their lives by taking simple wooden boats to travel to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in search of safe haven and a means of making a living.
UN data shows that last year, approximately 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making this sea area the route of maritime migration where the highest number of refugees and migrants have died.
