On November 10, the Malaysian coast guard searched coastal waters in the Andaman Sea to search for dozens of missing people belonging to Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority group. The incident occurred after a boat carrying them capsized and sank, killing at least 11 people.
Malaysia's Langkawi island police chief, Khairul Azhar Nuruddin, said hundreds of people had boarded a large Rohingya that left two weeks ago, before splitting into two groups and moving to two smaller boats on November 6. The boat sank near Langkawi carrying about 70 people.
Malaysian authorities have so far found 13 survivors and 7 bodies. In neighboring Thailand, a maritime security official said they had recovered four bodies, including two girls. More worryingly, Chief Nuruddin said the fate of the second boat, carrying 230 passengers, was still completely unknown.
Rohingyaism has long faced security issues in Myanmar. Now, they face escalating violence in their home country and worsening living conditions in densely populated refugee camps in Bangladesh, where 1.3 million people are living.
According to data from the United Nations Relief Service, more than 5,100 Rohingya people have boarded boats leaving Myanmar and Bangladesh in just this year, with nearly 600 reported dead or missing.
Malaysian and Thai authorities confirmed that they are deploying aircraft to assist in the search at sea.
According to Romli Mustafa, head of Malaysia's Maritime Administration, the search could last for 7 days. Preliminary information shows that the large ship carrying Rohingya initially left Myanmar's Rakhine state, which borders Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
This tragedy once again shows the despair of the refugees. Mohammed one-man, a refugee, is trying to find information about his younger brother Mohammed Ibrahim, 29, who sailed to Malaysia on October 26 without telling anyone.
"If I knew, I would never let her go. He has a wife and 3 young children - a 3-year-old son and a 10-month-old twin. Who will take care of them?"
Some Rohingya say they accept dangerous journeys as they no longer see a future in Bangladesh, where foreign aid is running low, and they are too scared to return to Myanmar.
Malaysia has long been a favorite destination, although it does not recognize asylum status. In recent years, Malaysia has begun to chase boats and arrest migrants. Malaysian police said 13 survivors of the latest boat sinking were detained to investigate potential immigration violations.
