Dozens of Rohingya rescued from stricken vessel after weeks adrift at sea, but fears grow for those still aboard
CNN
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After more than a month floating on a boat without food and water, dozens of people starved to death. Rohingya has been rescued in Indonesia, the United Nations refugee agency said on Sunday, offering a glimmer of hope to the persecuted group. fled their refugee camp last month in search of a better life.
Babar Baloch, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Asia spokesman, said 58 people believed to be from the boat were rescued in Aceh, although concerns remain about the lives of around 130 others – including many women and children – who are still stranded on the ship.
“There are some indications that local Indonesian fishermen may have made the rescue,” Baloch said. “We are still worried for the lives of (the rest of us). Hope they get rescued soon.”
CNN has reached out to Indonesian police for comment but has not received a response.
The boat was sailing from Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, where about 1 million members of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority live in refugee camps after fleeing a brutal campaign of killing and burning by the army. Myanmar team in western Rakhine state.
At various points in its voyage, the boat was discovered near India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Family members and aid agencies have warned for weeks that those on board were on the brink of starvation after running out of food and water. UNHCR said its previous pleas for intervention had been “repeatedly ignored” by several South and Southeast Asian countries.
The rescue comes just a day after the United Nations agency said about 180 Rohingya refugees on a separate ship that went missing at sea are now presumed dead.
UNHCR said in a statement, citing unconfirmed reports, the second boat also began its “unlucky” voyage in late November and began breaking up in early December.
“Relatives have lost contact. Final contacts assumed all were dead,” the statement added. “We hope against hope this is not the case.”
Amnesty International on Saturday called on the Indonesian government to assist in the rescue and bring the passengers on both boats ashore.
“Many people, in Indonesia, Australia and around the world, are preparing for Christmas. The human spirit displayed during Christmas must prevail in a time like this,” it said in a statement.
“We also call on the Indonesian government to lead a regional initiative to address the refugee crisis.”
According to the United Nations, since 2020, more than 3,000 Rohingya have attempted the risky journey from Bangladesh by sea. Two-thirds of those fleeing are women and children, it added.
Many seek safety from the crowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, where living conditions are harsh and women are at risk of sexual assault and violence.
While all countries are bound by international law to rescue those in distress at sea, swift action is not always available – especially where there is a concern. Rohingya refugees.
Passengers were turned away in several countries, while women said they were assaulted during the journey.
According to Baloch, about 2,000 Rohingya have made the adventurous sea voyage in 2022 alone. Of those, nearly 200 have been reported missing, he added.
If reports of 180 people presumed dead are confirmed, this year will be one of the most dangerous for the persecuted group seeking refuge in a third country, Baloch said.
“We hope that the missing people are still alive somewhere out there,” he added. “But if these fears are true, it will be a tragic year of great proportions with regard to desperate people.”
