“Dozens of Rohingya refugees are believed to have died in the Andaman sea after spending more than 200 days afloat, owing to a ‘collective unwillingness’ of countries to take them in.” — UNHRC
Over 30 Rohingya Refugees have died on their sea voyage from Bangladesh to Indonesia. UNHRC released a statement stating that countries were deliberately ignoring and not taking in the stateless Rohingya Muslim refugees into their nations and, thereby, deliberately violating the international human rights treaties. It also highlighted the need for rescue and disembarkment operations across the possible migration regions/routes.
With a lot of effort and pain, around 300 Rohingya Muslim refugees have safely disembarked on the northern coast of Aceh, Indonesia. The group which embarked on this deadly journey also had women and children.
In its statement, the UNHRC stated that “collective unwillingness of states to act” on the Rohingya crisis during their sea voyage from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (UNHRC refugee camps arranged after the Rohingyas fled Myanmar) to the northern coast of Aceh, Indonesia has been fatal. No state was willing to help or take them in their entire 6 month journey at sea.
Representational Image: Wikimedia Commons
With more than 200 days at sea, the Bali Process, an existing regional coordination mechanism that formed to look after the issue in the region has failed to deliver and save the lives of stateless people through their rescue and disembarkment. Further, in its statement, the UNHRC said, “The group had repeatedly tried to disembark over the course of more than 200 days at sea, to no avail.“
With no interest in taking any Rohingya Muslim refugees by any country in the world, Rohingyas flee from one country to the other in search of their existence and recognition. But their death cries are not loud enough for any nation or international organisation. Nations may rise and fall, but the fate of Rohingya refugees is a story of lost souls.