2015-05-15 11:11:00

Thousands of migrants stranded in Southeast Asia


(Vatican Radio) Up to 800 migrants from Bangladesh and Burma marooned at sea have landed in Indonesia's Aceh province, after being rescued by local fishing boats.

Thousands of migrants, mainly from the Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma, also known as Myanmar, are thought to be at sea after being abandoned by people smugglers.

Many of them are sick and in need of food in the Andaman Sea following a Thai crackdown on human trafficking.

The Rohyingya have been fleeing persecution in Burma, while those from Bangladesh are trying to escape a life of poverty.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has issued a plea to the international community to take urgent action to save the lives of the thousands of stranded migrants and asylum seekers.

There are fears that the migrants currently at sea will not survive much longer if they run out of food and water.

Speaking to Lydia O’Kane, the IOM’s Joe Lowry said that smaller boats have started to land in northern Sumatra in Indonesia. This may mean, he said, that local fishermen are going out and finding these boats and ferrying these people back to shore”.

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He also stressed that they know from cases in the past coming through Thailand, “up to 2% of people being smuggled have beri beri which is a vitamin B deficiency, it’s a very severe condition, it can kill you. We also know that 4 % of people will be acutely malnourished…”

Some 8,000 migrants from Burma and Bangladesh all the victims of people smuggling rings have been at sea since early March on overcrowded fishing boats.

The International Organization for Migration has released USD 1 Million to launch operations to aid migrants left in this desperate situation.

The release of funds from the Organization’s Migration Emergency Funding  Mechanism will allow expanded relief efforts for migrants currently ashore, and to assist the estimated 6,000 stranded at sea in at least six boats off Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.  

 








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