Fears are growing for at least 500 people believed to have been aboard two boats that reportedly capsized off Myanmar’s coast in recent days, the UN migration agency and refugee agency have said.
In a joint alert last Thursday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR said both vessels had departed from Myanmar’s Rakhine state in late June.
Contact was lost with one boat carrying about 250 people shortly after it set sail. A second vessel, carrying 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on 8 July.
Most of those aboard were ethnic Rohingya from Rakhine state, who have faced decades of persecution by Myanmar’s authorities.
Some had also travelled from Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in neighbouring Bangladesh, home to around one million Rohingya who fled State-led violence in Myanmar in 2017.
The boats used for such journeys are often overcrowded and poorly suited to high-seas conditions.
The vessels also departed outside the regular sailing season, when weather conditions are more hazardous.
“This is part of a worrying trend that’s been going on for some time now,” said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh. “Many people, hundreds of people, have already been reported to have lost their lives in that same region, in those same seas this year.”
Before the latest incidents, nearly 300 people had already been reported missing or drowned in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals.
UNHCR said recent torrential rain and flooding across the region had further increased the risks associated with dangerous sea crossings.
“These reports underscore the devastating impact of protracted conflict and displacement, as well as the continued lack of sustainable solutions for Rohingya communities,” IOM and UNHCR said in a statement.
The agencies linked the latest tragedies to the worsening humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where a civil war has continued since the military coup of February 2021.
Limited assistance and opportunities in Bangladesh’s refugee camps have also pushed more people to risk perilous sea journeys in search of safety and protection.
A recent report by the UN human rights office said foreign parties continued to supply arms, parts, ammunition and munitions to Myanmar’s military, as well as jet fuel and other dual-use items.
It warned that cuts and suspensions in foreign aid were threatening locally led civilian protection efforts aimed at saving lives and maintaining access to essential services amid continuing military attacks on civilians.