(Bangkok) – The Bangladesh government should immediately allow hundreds of Rohingya refugees stranded in two trawlers in the Bay of Bengal to come ashore and receive necessary food, water, and health care, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that the Rohingya may have been at sea for weeks without adequate food and water.

On April 23, 2020, Foreign Minister Abdul Momen said the country would refuse entry to more Rohingya: “I am opposed to allowing these Rohingya into the country because Bangladesh is always asked to take care of the responsibility of other countries.” Bangladesh hosts nearly a million Rohingya refugees who fled mass atrocities in Myanmar. He added that because the Covid-19 pandemic had increased the number of Bangladeshis returning to the country, “we have no room to shelter any foreign people or refugees.”

Also Read- Hundreds of Rohingya Refugees Stuck at Sea With ‘Zero Hope’

“Bangladesh has shouldered a heavy burden as the result of the Myanmar military’s atrocity crimes, but this is no excuse to push boatloads of refugees out to sea to die,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Bangladesh should continue to help those at grave risk and preserve the international goodwill it has gained in recent years for helping the Rohingya.”

Inhumane pushbacks of boats by countries in the region have placed refugees and asylum seekers’ lives at risk, Human Rights Watch said. Malaysia recently pushed back to sea one and possibly more fishing trawlers with hundreds of Rohingya asylum seekers aboard, and Thailand has indicated that it will refuse entry to Rohingya boats.

Read more…