More Rohingya take children as they leave Bangladesh by boat - aid groups

REUTERS
By Ruma Paul and Sudipto Ganguly
November 27, 2023

Rohingya Muslims walk as they are being transported to a temporary shelter, following their arrival in Sabang, Aceh province, Indonesia, November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Riska Munawarah/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

 

DHAKA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - 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.

UNHCR Reports Sharp Spike in Dangerous Rohingya Boat Voyages

THE I DIPLOMAT

Sebastian Strangio
January 19, 2023

More than 3,500 people attempted to flee Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea last year, nearly five times more than in 2021.

Earlier this week, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) released new statistics about the number of Muslim Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar or Bangladesh by sea in search of sanctuary abroad. According to the new data, some 3,545 people undertook perilous sea voyages in 2022, a fivefold increase on 2021, when around 700 people made similar journeys, UNHCR said in a statement Tuesday.

This increased traffic has been accompanied by a tragic increase in the number of Rohingya civilians who died or went missing at sea last year. At least 348 people failed to complete their journeys, making it one of the deadliest years for Rohingya boat voyages since 2014.

Rohingya: Dhaka wants Suu Kyi to join talks in Beijing

Dhaka Tribune 

 UNB
October 12th, 2020 

Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi leaves the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top United Nations court, during court hearings in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar alleging genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya population, in The Hague, Netherlands December 12, 2019 Reuters

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming proposed a tripartite meeting between foreign ministers of the three countries - Bangladesh, Myanmar and China

Bangladesh wants Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be present at a tripartite meeting in Beijing, as proposed by China to discuss Rohingya repatriation issues.

"It will not be done without her presence. She should be there," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen conveyed to China.

Suu Kyi, state counsellor of Myanmar, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but she has subsequently been widely criticised for doing nothing to stop the rape, murder and genocide in Rakhine, refusing to condemn the Myanmar military or acknowledge accounts of their atrocities.

The foreign minister said the number one objective of Bangladesh is to see the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State.