Malaysian and Thai authorities resumed their joint search-and-rescue operation on Tuesday for dozens of Rohingya missing at sea, days after a boat carrying 70 persecuted immigrants from Myanmar sank near the border between the two nations, killing 21.
According to the Malaysian Maritime agency, thirteen survivors were rescued on Monday in the Malaysian waters, while 12 more were found dead.
Romli Mustafa, regional director at the agency, said his counterparts in Thailand had located nine bodies, while the country’s police officials confirmed that only six bodies were recovered from the sea.
Romli said Malaysian rescue teams will continue search operations until Saturday, yet Thai rescue workers said that the search radius would be widened from Tuesday.
For many years, Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar on small wooden boats to reach neighbouring Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Thailand.
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Myanmar authorities are accused of carrying out genocidal crimes against the Muslim minority in the country. One boat carrying around 70 passengers sank, while the fate of 230 more people on board the other vessel remains unclear, officials said.
More than 5,100 Rohingya boarded boats to leave Myanmar and Bangladesh between January and early November of this year, and nearly 600 of them have been reported dead or missing, according to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency. Malaysia, which does not recognise the refugee status, has intensified search operations to trace out the missing people at the sea bordering Thailand.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has criticised Malaysian policies and said, "The unconscionable practice of pushing boats away from borders must end, and regional governments must ensure that any boats carrying refugees and migrants are allowed to land safely in the nearest country."
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