CNN
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Dozens of starving Rohingya have been rescued in Indonesia after being adrift for more than a month without food or water in a devastated boat, a persecuted group who fled refugee camps last month, the UN refugee agency said Sunday. gave me a glimmer of hope. in search of a better life.
Babar Barok, spokesman for Asia at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said 58 people believed to have been on the boat had been rescued in Aceh, but an estimated more than 130 people, including many women and children, were killed. Anxiety remains in life. Still stuck onboard.
“Some signs suggest that local Indonesian fishermen may have done the rescue,” Baloch said. “We are still concerned for[the rest’s]lives. We hope they will be rescued soon.”
Indonesian police did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The boat was traveling from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, about one million members of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who fled a brutal killing and arson campaign by the Myanmar army in western Rakhine State, live in refugee camps.
At various points in the voyage the boat was spotted near India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Families and aid agencies have warned for weeks that people on board were at risk of starvation after running out of food and water. It said it was “continuously ignored” by several countries in Southeast Asia.
The rescue comes just a day after a United Nations agency announced that some 180 Rohingya refugees on another ship that had gone missing at sea are now feared dead.
A second boat also began an “unlucky” voyage in late November and began to fall apart in early December, UNHCR said in a statement, citing unconfirmed reports.
“Relatives have lost contact. Those who were last contacted speculate that they are all dead,” the statement added. “I hope not.”
Amnesty International appealed to the Indonesian government on Saturday to help rescue and disembark passengers from both boats.
“Many people in Indonesia, Australia and around the world are ready to celebrate Christmas.
“We also urge the Indonesian government to lead regional initiatives to resolve the refugee crisis.”
According to the United Nations, since 2020, more than 3,000 Rohingya have attempted the perilous journey by sea from Bangladesh. He added that two-thirds of his fugitives were women and children.
Many seek safety from Cox’s Bazar’s overcrowded refugee camps where conditions are dire and women are at risk of sexual assault and violence.
International law obligates all countries to rescue people stranded at sea, but this is not always the case, especially when it comes to Rohingya refugees.
Passengers have been kicked out of several countries, while a woman has been reportedly assaulted during the trip.
According to Baloch, about 2,000 Rohingya have embarked on dangerous sea journeys in 2022 alone. Of that number, about 200 people are missing, he added.
If reports of the 180 feared deaths are confirmed, this year will be one of the deadliest for persecuted groups seeking refuge in third countries.
“There is no hope that the missing are still alive anywhere,” he added. “But if these concerns are true, this year will be a year of massive tragedy involving desperate people.”
