By Subir Bhaumik Kolkata, March 12 : Exactly a month after they sailed out of Bangladesh’s coastal region of Cox’s Bazar, more than 80 Muslim Rohingya refugees remain stranded in a boat in the Andaman Sea.
Human rights activists have said that Indian Coast Guards have provided the refugees with food, drinking water and medical attention but not allowed the boat ashore.
“That is perhaps because India is negotiating with Bangladesh to take back these refugees. But since Bangladesh has refused to take them back as their boat was tracked far away from the Andamans, the fate of the Rohingyas is uncertain,” a Thailand-based human rights activist, who heads a project on the minorities, said on the condition of anonymity.
The activists said that one month at sea in a ramshackle boat may be “a real tough proposition” for anybody.
Eight of the 90 Rohingyas who set sail (65 women, 20 men and five minors) have already died of diarrhoea and dehydration after the boat’s engine developed trouble on Feb 18, a week into their journey towards South-east Asia.
Eighty-one Rohingyas, mostly women, were reported to be on the boat with three Bangladesh crew members when the rights activists lost contact. The survivors confirmed eight deaths on the boat before they lost contact.
Related stories
Subscribe
- Never miss a story with notifications
- Gain full access to our premium content
- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once
Latest stories