{"id":1740,"date":"2026-07-16T05:37:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2026-07-16T05:37:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:37:25","slug":"more-than-500-feared-dead-as-officials-investigate-reports-of-boats-capsizing-with-rohingya-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1740","title":{"rendered":"More than 500 feared dead as officials investigate reports of boats capsizing with Rohingya refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SYDNEY (AP) \u2014 More than 500 people are feared dead after reports that two boats carrying members of Myanmar\u2019s persecuted Rohingya minority have capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n

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According to preliminary information, the two boats left Myanmar\u2019s western state of Rakhine in late June carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, including some who had traveled from refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.<\/p>\n

One boat, believed to have been carrying around 250 people, lost contact shortly after departure. A second boat, reportedly carrying 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar\u2019s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.<\/p>\n

\u2033While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life,\u201d the agencies said.<\/p>\n

The Rohingya, who have in recent years fled both Myanmar and Bangladesh\u2019s squalid refugee camps by the thousands, typically avoid such boat journeys at this time of year, when monsoons are frequent and conditions at sea are particularly dangerous. The UNHCR and IOM noted this in their statement, saying that recent torrential rain and flooding across the region would have made such journeys especially risky.<\/p>\n

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Around 1.2 million stateless, predominantly Muslim Rohingya remain trapped in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh<\/span> after fleeing waves of violence by Myanmar\u2019s security forces. <\/p>\n

The refugees have no way to safely return to Myanmar, where the military that killed thousands of Rohingya in 2017 during what the United States declared a genocide<\/span> remains in charge of their homeland. The Rohingya still living in Myanmar face severe restrictions and many are confined to internment camps.<\/p>\n

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Steep cuts to foreign aid by the U.S. and other countries have led to ration cuts in Bangladesh\u2019s refugee camps<\/span>, while the ruling military and an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine have fought for control of the region. <\/p>\n

The unrest has led to an increasing number of Rohingya attempting to make the dangerous ocean crossing<\/span> to Malaysia on rickety boats. Thousands have died in the process, including babies, children and pregnant women. Local maritime authorities have frequently abandoned the Rohingya at sea, often ignoring reports of boats in distress<\/span>. <\/p>\n

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The IOM and UNHCR said on Thursday that the latest potential tragedy at sea underscores the continued lack of sustainable solutions for the Rohingya, and urged the international community to support those trapped in Bangladesh\u2019s camps. <\/p>\n

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