Amnesty warns of growing Rohingya crisis after Malaysia boat tragedy
Rights group urges ASEAN action as 27 die at sea, blaming conflict in Myanmar and worsening camp conditions in Bangladesh for mass exodus
DHAKA/KUALA LUMPUR (MNTV) — At least 27 refugees and migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslims, have died after a boat carrying around 70 people capsized near the maritime border between Thailand and Malaysia, exposing once again the desperate conditions forcing thousands to flee persecution and squalid refugee camps in the region.
According to a statement from Amnesty International, the victims were among a group of roughly 300 Rohingyas who left on a larger vessel before splitting into smaller boats, one of which sank off Malaysia’s coast.
Authorities said it remains unclear whether the group’s journey began in Myanmar’s Rakhine State or in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher, Joe Freeman, said the tragedy “lays bare the deadly risks faced by Rohingya Muslims who attempt to flee conflict and persecution in Myanmar, plus deteriorating conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh.”
He added that years of military violence in Rakhine, coupled with growing instability between Myanmar’s junta and the Arakan Army, have trapped civilians in conditions marked by food shortages, forced labor, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on movement.
Meanwhile, dwindling aid in Bangladesh’s refugee settlements — exacerbated by U.S. funding cuts — has left thousands struggling to survive, pushing many to risk the perilous journey by sea.
Amnesty called on Malaysia and Thailand to conduct immediate search-and-rescue operations and to provide survivors with humanitarian assistance and protection from refoulement, the practice of forcibly returning refugees to danger zones.
The organization also urged Southeast Asian nations to end the “unconscionable practice of pushing boats away from borders.”
The rights group said regional governments must allow refugee vessels to land safely and called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take decisive action on both the maritime crisis and Myanmar’s internal conflict.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1.2 million Rohingya have fled Myanmar since 2017, with most residing in overcrowded camps in southern Bangladesh.
Recent clashes between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army have displaced thousands more, while Bangladesh officials warn that declining donor support could destabilize entire host communities.
Malaysia, which has long resisted accepting new arrivals, has previously pushed back migrant boats. In January, Malaysian authorities said they had expelled two vessels carrying around 300 undocumented migrants from Myanmar — a move widely condemned by human rights groups.
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