Gangs, kidnappings, murders: why thousands of Rohingya are desperately trying to escape refugee camps by boats

<https://theconversation.com/gangs-kidnappings-murders-why-thousands-of-rohingya-are-desperately-trying-to-escape-refugee-camps-by-boats-224515>

"Late last week, a boat crammed with Rohingya refugees fleeing a squalid camp
in Bangladesh capsized off the coast of Indonesia. Around 75 people were
rescued, including nine children, but more than 70 are missing and presumed
dead.

This tragedy isn’t an isolated incident. The number of Rohingya people trying
to escape refugee camps by boat has skyrocketed in recent months.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 1,783 Rohingya refugees
boarded boats from Bangladesh from January to October 1, 2023. Since then,
around 3,100 people have embarked on these treacherous journeys – an increase
of nearly 74%.

Since January 2023, around 490 Rohingya have been reported dead or missing,
including 280 since October 1.

Their attempts to reach countries like Malaysia and most recently Indonesia are
being met with refusals and pushbacks, leaving many Rohingya stranded at sea
and vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and even death.

Why are so many Rohingya trying to flee in recent months? And how should the
international community respond to this increasingly desperate humanitarian
crisis?

In a new article recently submitted for peer review, we (two Australian
academics and six anonymous Rohingya activists) describe the “push factors”
that have been identified in community-based research in the camps, which are
forcing many people to board boats to try to reach safety."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics