Arakan News Agency
Ten years ago, more than 8,000 Rohingya refugees were abandoned by human traffickers in the Andaman Sea aboard rickety, unsafe boats. They were left to die of thirst, hunger, and drowning, with hundreds estimated to have perished.
What later became known as the “Rohingya Boat Crisis” unfolded in the second quarter of the year and reached its peak between May and June 2015, when Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia refused to accept the refugees and tightened anti-smuggling measures.
According to The Diplomat, around 170,000 Rohingya fled persecution in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh between 2012 and 2015, aboard overcrowded boats run by smugglers. In May 2015 alone, around 8,000 Rohingya were left stranded at sea.
International Outrage and Temporary Shelter
The crisis triggered global outrage, as thousands of Rohingya were left adrift on decaying boats, denied permission to dock. Eventually, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand agreed to offer temporary shelter to survivors. However, an estimated 370 people had already died after spending weeks at sea without food or water.
Investigations by regional authorities later uncovered mass graves in trafficking camps hidden in border forests.
Death Voyages Continue
A decade on, the deadly sea journeys persist. Rohingya seeking asylum continue to face beatings, extortion, and abandonment, driven by escalating violence and persecution that force them from their homes. Smuggling routes have become even more perilous and complex.
Just days ago, the UNHCR reported that 427 Rohingya died when two boats sank in the Andaman Sea off the Myanmar coast. The agency noted that one in every five people attempting the sea crossing is either dead or missing, making the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal among the world’s most dangerous waters.
Despite over 1,000 Rohingya reported dead or missing at sea last year, thousands continue to risk these deadly journeys annually, fleeing both the ongoing persecution in Arakan State and deepening despair in Bangladesh’s overcrowded refugee camps. Most seek refuge and work opportunities in Malaysia or Indonesia, even though they often face detention or deportation upon arrival.
Survivor Testimonies
A 24-year-old Rohingya man who fled Arakan State with his wife in June 2024 recalled:
“The smugglers beat us with anything wooden or plastic sticks and wouldn’t let us leave the storage room.” He said they spent a week aboard a packed boat with 160 others before traveling overland to the Thai border.
“Two-thirds of the people in the storage room were abused for failing to pay the fees,” he said, adding that smugglers used wooden restraints to bind their legs. He was only able to cross into Thailand after paying around $5,000.
A 13-year-old Rohingya boy fled his village in late 2024 to avoid forced recruitment into the Myanmar army. He began his journey at sea with about 200 others, then traveled overland to Myawaddy near the Thai border. He was held in a warehouse for being unable to pay or contact his family.
“After two months, when it became clear I couldn’t pay, they beat me,” he said. “They tied my hands, locked my feet in wooden stocks, and beat me nearly every day for a month. They told me if I couldn’t pay, they’d sell me.”
He added, “Eventually, eight others and I were sold to a new smuggler who also locked us in a cell and beat us but after 10 days, we managed to escape to Thailand.”
Forced Deportation
In early May, Indian authorities gathered dozens of Rohingya refugees in Delhi and deported about 40 of them by sea to the Andaman. According to the United Nations, the refugees were forced to disembark into the sea and swim to a Myanmar-controlled island.
The UNHCR estimates that around 33,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar and Bangladesh between 2022 and 2024. The proportion of women and children among sea escapees has risen to nearly 70%.
Over the past several years, more than a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s western Rakhine State following a genocidal military campaign launched in 2017. The Arakan Army (AA), a separatist group, launched its own military offensive to control the state in November 2023, inflicting further violence, displacement, and forced recruitment on the Rohingya. Most now live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, while many attempt to reach other countries in search of better living conditions.
Despite a decade passing since the boat crisis began, the dangerous sea journeys continue to claim the lives of Rohingya people. To this day, there has been no serious international intervention to resolve the crisis or repatriate the Rohingya to their homeland.
