Increase in deadly crossings reflects desperation of Rohingyas
The sharp increase in the number of Rohingya refugees who risked their lives to cross the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal last year is a reflection of their growing desperation, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
In 2022, more than 3500 Rohingyas attempted deadly crossings in 39 boats, mainly from Myanmar and Bangladesh, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told reporters in Geneva.
"This represents an increase of 360% over the previous year, when some 700 people made these journeys," he said.
The UN agency's latest warning about the situation comes amid the ongoing military crackdown in Myanmar by the generals who seized power two years ago, and the continued absence of a comprehensive regional response among South Asian coastal nations to protect the lives of refugees at sea and prevent their exploitation by human traffickers.
"UNHCR's appeals to maritime authorities in the region to rescue and disembark people in distress have been ignored or disregarded, and many boats have been adrift for weeks," Mantoo said, adding that without concrete commitments to regional cooperation, more people will die on the high seas.
UNHCR's latest data on the number of deaths resulting from these perilous voyages indicates that at least 348 people died or went missing at sea in 2022, making it one of the deadliest years since 2014.
The agency noted that 3,040 people who made the sea voyage landed in 2022, mainly in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Nearly 45% were women and children.
In the last two months of 2022, four boats with more than 450 Rohingyas landed in Aceh, Indonesia. A boat with more than 100 refugees landed in Sri Lanka. Another boat is feared to have sunk in early December with approximately 180 people on board, UNHCR reported, while several boats that departed in December "remained at sea at the end of the year".
Mantoo highlighted the vulnerability of ethnic Rohingya who have made the journey by sea, and the 700,000 who fled en masse from military persecution from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017. "We are hearing reports (...) about this growing sense of desperation and this anxiety about the future and really their hope for safety and security. Some of them are wanting to reunite with family members, others, their vulnerabilities are being exploited by traffickers or smugglers who lure with false promises and hopes."
In a call for solidarity among nations affected by the plight of the Rohingyas, the UNHCR official noted that regional ministers are scheduled to meet next month under the Bali Process to discuss how to combat human smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime.
"The movements we are talking about today are of Rohingya refugees, refugees in need of international protection," Mantoo insisted.
"They should not be deported, they should be provided with protection and assistance, so we are urging states to make sure that they comply with their international legal obligations when it comes to disembarking them, rescuing them at sea, disembarking them and then making sure that they are protected and that they are not returned to situations where their lives may be at risk," he explained.
Reiterating his call for more countries to share the "humanitarian responsibility" of the emergency in a more predictable, equitable and sustainable way, Mantoo noted that the majority of refugees continue to be hosted by Bangladesh.
"The people of Bangladesh, local communities and the government have been generous in hosting them and giving them protection and assistance, but they need more support to ensure that they can be helped during their displacement," he said.
