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London, UK/Teknaf, Bangladesh - A boat carrying over 100 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh was stranded off the coast of Indonesia, and those on board had been in desperate need of food and water. Authorities allowed the refugees on the boat to disembark on 24 October. A viral video of a deceased woman on the ship initially brought attention to their situation, and two others are believed to have died as well. BHRN has spoken to more than ten family members of those stranded on the boat and learned that among those being trafficked are individuals who were kidnapped in Bangladesh and sent on the ship as part of an extortion scheme. It is critical that these refugees get help and that authorities and NGOs can identify who among them was trafficked against their will, provide them with appropriate care, and safely return them home.
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As we mark the seventh anniversary of the Myanmar military’s genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, the world stands at a grim crossroads. On August 25, 2017, the military unleashed a campaign of mass murder, widespread rape, and the systematic destruction of Rohingya villages. Seven years later, these atrocities have not only continued but have intensified into a calculated campaign of extermination. The Myanmar military junta operates with unchallenged impunity, while the international community has failed to act decisively.
“Seven years into this tragedy, the Rohingya continue to suffer and die, abandoned by the international community,” said Kyaw Win, Executive Director of the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN). “The world’s inaction has not only failed to halt the genocide but has emboldened the Myanmar military and other armed groups to commit further atrocities with impunity. How many more lives must be lost before the world takes meaningful action?”
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London UK/ Teknaf Bangladesh - Burma Human Rights Network is calling on the international community to take action to protect the Rohingya living in Rakhine State, particularly those from Maungdaw Township. Fighting between the Burmese military and the Arakan Army has been ongoing for weeks, but the junta has retreated from the township. Now, several eyewitnesses have told BHRN that they witnessed attacks on Rohingya civilians as they fled the township, with many describing in similar detail the use of crude drones, akin to ones commercially available, with bombs or artillery shells attached to them used against Rohingya civilians. Others have described shootings, arbitrary detention, and other abuses that have resulted in a high number of civilian deaths. The attacks on the Rohingya have resulted in a mass exodus from the Township, with many fleeing into Bangladesh. On 16 August, fresh attacks on the Rohingya in Maungdaw included widespread burning of civilian homes, forcing many of the remaining population to flee. Witnesses have blamed the Arakan Army for the fires.
