Rohingya migrant boat sinks near Thai–Malaysian border, killing 11 and leaving hundreds missing
At least 11 people died and over 100 remain missing after a Rohingya migrant boat sank near the Thai–Malaysian border; 13 survivors were rescued.
Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) reported on Sunday (November 9) that a boat carrying Rohingya migrants from Myanmar sank near the Thai–Malaysian maritime border, killing at least 11 people and leaving more than 100 missing. Thirteen survivors have been rescued.
Romli Mustafa, head of the MMEA’s local office, said the search and rescue operation has covered 170 square nautical miles near Langkawi Island since Saturday. The vessel, carrying around 300 migrants, had departed from Myanmar’s Rakhine State three days earlier.
According to Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama, Kedah state police chief Adzli Abu Shah said the migrants initially travelled on a large vessel before being ordered to transfer to three smaller boats, each carrying about 100 people, to avoid detection as they neared Malaysian waters.
Adzli added that the fate of the other two boats remains unknown, and search and rescue operations are continuing.
Thousands of Rohingya have risked perilous sea journeys since Myanmar’s military launched a brutal crackdown in 2017, or to escape dire conditions in Bangladesh refugee camps that now host around 1.3 million people.
Data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) shows that between January and early November this year, more than 5,100 Rohingya have attempted to flee Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea, with nearly 600 reported dead or missing.
