Rohingya refugees

Human rights advocates say what happened to those on board is the latest example of political inaction and global apathy: Governments ignore the Rohingya because they can.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh report being offered $2,000 to return to Myanmar – and threatened with beatings if they do not.

While Bangladesh was spared the worst, Myanmar’s civil conflict is making it difficult for aid to reach those in need.

On January 18, prominent advocate Dil Mohammed was abducted from a Rohingya camp in No Man’s Land. He has not been heard from since.

A leaked email from the U.N. resident coordinator in Myanmar reveals that U.N. boats were used to transport junta officials to Bangladesh last week.

Junta officials are visiting refugee camps in order to verify those who have been shortlisted for repatriation under a China-mediated pilot program.

The request comes after the World Food Program was forced to cut its food aid to the refugee camps in Bangladesh due to funding shortfalls.

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

The leaky wooden vessel is just the latest to reach the shores of Aceh, as more and more refugees undertake the dangerous ocean crossings.

Given the hardships Rohingya face in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, there is no mystery why many are entrusting their lives to unscrupulous human traffickers.

Crime has risen as have unemployment and prices. But rehabilitation work among refugees has provided locals with jobs in NGOs.