Rohingya refugees increasingly driven to dangerous boat journeys, UN says
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A Rohingya refugee girl walking in a muddy street at a refugee camp in New Delhi, India.
PHOTO: AFP
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GENEVA – Dire humanitarian conditions in Myanmar and Bangladesh are driving more Rohingya to risk dangerous boat journeys to safety, such as one in May that ended in a sinking and estimates of 427 deaths, the UN refugee agency said on May 23.
The minority community’s plight might have been worsened by aid funding cuts, the agency added.
The humanitarian sector has been roiled by funding reductions
Two boats carrying some 514 Rohingya sank on May 9 and 10, carrying refugees who were thought to have left from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Rakhine state in Myanmar. Only 87 survivors were found, UNHCR said. The possible deaths of 427 people would make it the deadliest tragedy at sea involving Rohingya refugees so far in 2025, according to the agency.
That people chose to board boats during the annual monsoon season, which brings dangers such as strong winds and rough seas, reflected their desperation, the agency added.
“The dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by funding cuts, is having a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya, with more and more resorting to dangerous journeys to seek safety, protection and a dignified life for themselves and their families,” said Ms Jun Hai-kyung, director of UNHCR’s regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
“The latest tragedy is a chilling reminder that access to meaningful protection, especially in countries of first asylum, as well as responsibility sharing and collective efforts along sea routes, are essential to saving lives,” Ms Jun added.
The agency urged more financial support to stabilise the lives of Rohingya refugees in host countries, including Bangladesh, and those displaced inside Myanmar. Its request for US$383.1 million (S$492 million) for support in 2025 is currently only 30 per cent funded, it said.
UNHCR received more than US$2 billion in donations from the United States in 2024, or 40 per cent of its total donations.
A UNHCR spokesperson said that in March it had frozen more than US$300 million worth of planned activities as part of cost-saving. REUTERS
