250 missing after Rohingya refugee boat capsizes in Andaman Sea

BANGKOK — About 250 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals are missing after their boat capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations’ refugee and migration agencies. Loaded with men, women and children, the trawler reportedly sank due to strong winds, “rough seas and overcrowding”, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday. The trawler, which had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, “reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding”, the agencies said. “This tragedy highlights the devastating human cost ‌of protracted displacement and the continued absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya,” the UNHCR and the IOM said in their statement. The Bangladesh Coast Guard told AFP that one of its ships rescued nine people from the vessel on April 9. It is unclear when exactly the boat capsized. Long persecuted in Myanmar, more than 730,000 Rohingya, one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities, were forced to flee their homes in 2017 amid a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar’s military, and sought safety in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya, who are primarily Muslim, are denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country. Poor living conditions in Bangladesh however have also prompted some Rohingya to make precarious journeys on overcrowded vessels to Malaysia, which some envision to be a safe haven in the region. Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, told AFP he floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued, adding that he was burned by oil that spilled from the vessel. The 40-year-old said the promise of a job in Malaysia was what persuaded him to get on the boat. Ongoing violence in Rakhine, their home state in Myanmar, has “faded hopes of safe return in the near future”, the US agencies said, noting that shrinking humanitarian assistance and challenging living conditions in refugee camps have pushed them to “take such dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity”. These boats are often small and cramped, lacking in basic facilities like fresh water and sanitation. They do not always make it to their destinations. Some die at sea, while others are sometimes detained or deported. Some have also been turned away upon nearing Malaysia and Indonesia, either by authorities or local coastal communities. In January 2025, Malaysia turned away two boats carrying around 300 refugees after giving the passengers food and water. “People are dying in the fighting, dying from hunger. So some think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here,” a Rohingya refugee in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, had previously told Reuters. In their statement on Tuesday, the UN agencies called on the international community to sustain funding for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh. They added: “As Bangladesh marks its new year, this tragedy is a reminder of the efforts urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that would allow Rohingya refugees return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity.” — Agencies