look news india
The journey of about 300 people who left Myanmar in search of a better life turned into a journey of death. A boat packed with migrants capsized last week in the Indian Ocean near the border of Thailand and Malaysia, causing a major tragedy. Dozens of people are still missing and the search is on.
While giving information about this tragic incident on Sunday, Malaysian officials said that till now the body of a woman, who was a resident of Myanmar, has been recovered. Apart from this, success has been achieved in saving 10 people alive.
Who were on the boat?
According to Romli Mustafa, a senior official of Malaysia’s maritime enforcement agency, preliminary investigation revealed that the boat had originated from Buthidaung city in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The people on board included persecuted people from Myanmar. Rohingya Muslims Along with some other migrants and a citizen of Bangladesh were also included.
The boat sank in the sea about three days ago. The official feared that “as the search operation progresses, more victims are likely to be found.”
Human smugglers’ network and unsafe journey
A local police chief said the boat probably capsized in Thai waters, after which the survivors somehow drifted to Malaysian territory. He blamed human trafficking networks for this incident, which put these forced people at risk by transporting them through unsafe sea routes.
This incident once again highlights the desperation due to which Rohingya Muslims are forced to risk their lives to escape years of persecution in Myanmar.
Malaysia’s stance and the situation of refugees
Malaysia has accepted Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds in the past, but is now trying to limit their numbers due to fears of a large influx of people continuing to arrive by sea.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are about 1,17,670 Rohingya registered in Malaysia, which is about 59% of the total refugee population in the country. In January this year, Malaysian authorities turned back two boats carrying about 300 people who were attempting to enter the country illegally.