Essay: Gangs, kidnappings, murders – why thousands of Rohingya are desperately trying to escape refugee camps by boats
In an article first published on The Conversation, RUTH WELLS and MAX WILLIAM LOOMES, of UNSW Sydney, look at why so many Rohingya are fleeing Bangladesh and what Australia, New Zealand and regional partners can do to help them…
Indonesia recovers two bodies after Rohingya boat capsizes off Aceh
Aceh Jaya, Indonesia Reuters Indonesian authorities recovered two bodies from the shores of West Aceh on Saturday and said local fishermen reported several other drowning victims washed up after a vessel carrying Rohingya migrants capsized off the coast earlier this week. More than 70 Rohingya were “presumed dead or missing”, which if confirmed would be […]
Over 70 Rohingya dead or missing after boat capsizes off Indonesia’s Aceh
Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters More than 70 Rohingya are “presumed dead or missing” after a boat they were on capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, while 75 have been rescued, the UNHCR refugee agency said on Friday. The UNHCR said in a joint statement with the International Organization for Migration that if the death […]
Rohingya death toll at sea in 2023 worst for almost a decade – UN
Dhaka, Bangladesh Reuters At least 569 Rohingya were reported to have died or gone missing while trying to flee Myanmar or Bangladesh in 2023, the highest toll since 2014, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday, calling for urgent action to protect the ethnic minority group. The deaths or disappearances occurred during attempted crossings of […]
Fire leaves nearly 7,000 Rohingya homeless in Bangladesh camp
Dhaka, BangladeshReuters A fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in south-eastern Bangladesh in the early hours of Sunday, destroying about 800 shelters and rendering thousands homeless, officials said. Fire service officials and Rohingya volunteers brought the blaze under control around three hours after it hit Camp 5 in Cox’s Bazar, a border district with […]
Indonesian protesters storm refugee shelter calling for deportation of Rohingya
Banda Aceh, IndonesiaReuters A large crowd of Indonesian students stormed a convention centre housing hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in the city of Banda Aceh on Wednesday, demanding they be deported, Reuters footage showed. A city police spokesperson in Banda Aceh did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two suspects, a Bangladesh […]
About 400 Rohingya land in Indonesia, adds to surge of recent arrivals
Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters Dilapidated boats carrying an estimated 400 ethnic Rohingya arrived in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday, chief of a provincial fishing community has confirmed, adding to a recent surge of Myanmar’s Muslim minority arriving in the country. Prior to Sunday’s arrivals, the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, said that 1,200 Rohingya people, a […]
More Rohingya take children as they leave Bangladesh by boat – aid groups
Dhaka, BangladeshReuters An increasing number of Rohingya people are leaving refugee camps in Bangladesh with their children, taking to boats in search of a better life as hopes fade of returning to Myanmar or being resettled, and camp life gets tougher, aid groups say. Nearly one million members of the Muslim minority from Myanmar live […]
Hundreds of Rohingya come ashore in Indonesia, joining about 1,000 this week
Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters More than 200 ethnic Rohingya came ashore in Indonesia’s Aceh province late on Tuesday, taking total arrivals of members of the Myanmar Muslim minority to more than 1,000 for the week, a leader of the province’s fishing community said. During November to April, when the seas are calmer, many members of the […]
Essay: Three anniversaries will force issues of religious persecution at the UN General Assembly
Whether world leaders grapple with interconnecting issues of religion and global affairs remains to be seen, but, KNOX THAMES, a former special envoy for religious minorities at the US State Department and senior fellow at Pepperdine University, says they cannot afford to ignore them…