IRIN Asia | All at sea : what lies behind Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis ? | Bangladesh | Indonesia | Myanmar | Thailand

Malaysia and Thailand leave migrant boats adrift

OXFORD, 13 May 2015 (IRIN) - As Europe focuses on the migrants in the Mediterranean, another humanitarian crisis is playing out on a stretch of water between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants have been deserted by smugglers and left adrift for days without food or water.

▻http://www.irinnews.org/report/101487/malaysia-and-thailand-leave-migrant-boats-adrift

Malaysia turns away boat with more than 500 migrants

Malaysia has turned away a boat with more than 500 Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis after providing them with fuel and provisions, a government official said Thursday.

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/asia/2015/05/14/Malaysia-turns-away-boat-with-more-than-500-migrants.html

Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 14 May 2015

In today’s Brief: Crisis at sea for Rohingya boat people; Indonesia’s virgin soldiers; Pakistan bus attack; Hazaras under fire in Afghanistan; Habre trial; sentenced for a tweet in Bahrain; Russia’s child bride; Angola journalist on trial; #HelloBaku; & myth-busting human rights in the UK...

▻http://www.hrw.org/the-day-in-human-rights

Migrants From Myanmar, Shunned by Malaysia, Are Spotted Adrift in Andaman Sea

IN THE ANDAMAN SEA OFF THAILAND — A wooden fishing boat carrying several hundred desperate migrants from Myanmar was spotted adrift in the Andaman Sea between Thailand and Malaysia on Thursday, part of an exodus in which thousands of people have taken to the sea in recent weeks but no country has been willing to take them in.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/05/15/world/15MIGRANTS-WEB1/15MIGRANTS-WEB1-master675.jpg

How Myanmar and Its Neighbors Are Responding to the Rohingya Crisis

Myanmar and its neighbors see the Rohingya group and the seaborne trafficking of migrants in the region very differently, complicating the refugees’ plight. Here is a rundown of their policy stances so far.

http://i1.nyt.com/images/2014/11/07/world/asia/07myanmar-ss-slide-O02E/07myanmar-ss-slide-O02E-slide.jpg

Rohingya Muslims brave death at sea to escape ’open-air prison’ in Burma

Members of the Rohingya ethnic minority have taken to the sea to flee persecution in Burma, but their options are narrowing as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia refuse new migrants. Residents of the cramped Aung Ming Lar ghetto reveal a bitterly hard life with many willing to risk everything to get away

http://i.guim.co.uk/media/w-620/h--/q-95/b2bbdc10c6e195653a5d91720f3c2b4a02c3feaf/0_1232_2661_1595/1000.jpg

Les Rohingyas meurent aussi par centaines en mer. Qui s’en soucie ?

N’importe quelle tragédie de par le monde fait “vendre” d’habitude, pardonnez ce cynisme ! Les Rohingyas, qui cumulent toutes sortes de misères, n’ont le droit qu‘à peu d’intérêt international pour le moment. L’actualité concernant cette minorité musulmane, paria dans son propre pays d’adoption, la Birmanie, ne manque pas pourtant : ce jeudi, une nouvelle embarcation qui transporte au moins 300 Rohingyas, dont beaucoup de femmes et d’enfants, a été signalée à la dérive près des côtes de Thaïlande. Leur calvaire en mer, souvent sans eau et nourriture pendant des jours, voire des semaines, est loin d‘être terminé car la Thaïlande, pays de transit des migrants clandestins depuis des années, a décidé de durcir fortement sa politique en la matière. Quant à la Malaisie et l’Indonésie, elles comptent désormais refouler tous les bateaux abordant leur littoral.

▻http://fr.euronews.com/2015/05/14/persecution-de-la-minorite-musulmane-rohingyas-birmanie-et-thailande

Southeast Asia: End Rohingya Boat Pushbacks

(Bangkok) – Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia should end their pushbacks of boats with Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants and asylum seekers, and instead bring them ashore and provide desperately needed aid, Human Rights Watch said today.

▻http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/14/southeast-asia-end-rohingya-boat-pushbacks
#push-back #refoulement

Une vague migratoire effraie l’Asie du Sud-Est

L’Indonésie et la Malaisie ont décidé de repousser les navires de migrants en provenance de Birmanie et du Bangladesh qui tentent d’accoster sur leurs rivages. Des centaines de réfugiés se retrouvent déjà piégés en mer.

▻http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2015/05/14/01003-20150514ARTFIG00024-une-vague-migratoire-effraie-l-asie-du-sud-est.ph

I migranti intrappolati in mezzo al mare

Migliaia di persone sono bloccate da una settimana nel Mare delle Andamane, tra il Myanmar e la Thailandia, e nessuno li vuole accogliere: le fotografie fanno impressione

▻http://www.ilpost.it/2015/05/14/rohingya-intrappolati-mare-andamane

South-east Asia faces its own migrant crisis as states play ’human ping-pong’

UN warns of humanitarian disaster after Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia turn back boatloads of refugees fleeing Burma, leaving 6,000 people stranded at sea

http://i.guim.co.uk/media/w-1920/h--/q-95/e997bfd61c23badf05f249944c31affbf63721c9/0_0_4928_2955/2000.jpg

#Birmanie. C’est un #génocide que fuient les Rohingyas

1 400 boat people ont débarqué le 15 mai en Indonésie, et un millier en Malaisie, alors que les Nations unies ont appelé les pays de la région à accueillir les réfugiés abandonnés en mer par les passeurs. Ce sont principalement des Rohingyas, une population musulmane en butte à des violences permanentes en Birmanie, montrait en décembre dernier ce reportage.

http://www.courrierinternational.com/sites/ci_master/files/styles/image_original_765/public/assets/images//2014/hebdos/1255/1255-KOPELNITSKY.jpg?itok=K1LxKSAl

▻http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2014/11/20/la-minorite-rohingya-menacee-de-genocide

Desperate Rohingya migrants still adrift amid ‘humanitarian crisis’ warning

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees remained adrift in the Andaman Sea, turned away by Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, as the UN warned a massive humanitarian crisis could unfold.

▻http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/05/14/desperate-rohingya-migrants-still-adrift-amid-humanitarian-crisis-warning

All at sea: what lies behind Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis?

OXFORD, 15 May 2015 (IRIN) - The plight of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, left adrift without food and water for nearly a week, has all the hallmarks of a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Yet despite statements of concern from governments, aid agencies and human rights groups, there is little sign of a coordinated plan to address the issue. Boats have been spotted off the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, apparently abandoned by human trafficking gangs who operate across maritime and land borders and shunned by regional powers.

▻http://www.irinnews.org/report/101503/all-at-sea-what-lies-behind-southeast-asia-s-migrant-crisis

Migrants en Asie : « La Malaisie doit réaliser que ces gens vont mourir en mer »

ENTRETIEN Le directeur de l’ONG Lawyers for Liberty rappelle que les migrants, pour beaucoup des Rohingyas persécutés en Birmanie, bénéficient d’une protection internationale qui engage les autorités de Kuala Lumpur.

http://md1.libe.com/photo/775888-un-bateau-de-migrants-rohingyas-le-14-mai-2015-en-mer-d-andaman-au-large-de-la-thailande.jpg?modified_at=1431900010&width=750

’They hit us, with hammers, by knife’: Rohingya migrants tell of horror at sea

Up to 8,000 are believed to be stuck off Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian coasts, and those who made it to shore describe violence and starvation

http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/5/17/1431873233494/The-Kuala-Langsa-refugee--007.jpg

Migrants describe how people were killed following fights for food on ’floating coffin’ boats in #Andaman Sea

Migrants rescued from boats branded “floating coffins” by the UN have described how people were killed following fights for scarce food and water supplies.

▻http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10250015.ece/alternates/w620/myanmar-boat2.jpg

▻http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/migrants-tell-of-brutal-fights-for-food-on-floating-coffin-boats-in-a

Migrants Face Kidnappings, Torture, and Forced Labor on Hellish Journey to Southeast Asia

When Joynal Uddin’s younger brother Kamal left their hometown in Bangladesh to seek work in Malaysia last February, the move was sudden. A 30-year-old trader from the town of Cox’s Bazar, Joynal said his younger sibling didn’t tell their family he was planning to leave. Looking back, the elder Uddin brother suspects a broker who arranges trips to Malaysia from Bangladesh via the Bay of Bengal was behind the disappearance.

▻https://news.vice.com/article/migrants-face-kidnappings-torture-and-forced-labor-on-hellish-journey-to-

Chi sono i rohingya e perché vengono abbandonati in mare

È ancora poco chiaro il destino di alcune imbarcazioni cariche di migranti rohingya partite dalla Birmania e respinte dalla Malesia, dalla Thailandia e dall’Indonesia. Secondo le Nazioni Unite, sono circa seimila i migranti alla deriva nel mare delle Andamane e in cerca di un approdo, ma secondo altre stime potrebbero essere trentamila. Come e perché è esplosa la crisi dei migranti rohingya.

▻http://www.internazionale.it/notizie/2015/05/15/rohingya-migranti

Boat With Hundreds of Migrants From Myanmar Heads Farther Out to Sea

LIPE ISLAND, Thailand — A wooden fishing boat carrying hundreds of desperate migrants from Myanmar moved farther out to sea on Friday after the Thai authorities concluded that the passengers wanted to continue their journey, instead of disembarking in Thailand, according to an aid group involved in negotiations over the vessel’s future.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/05/16/world/MIGRANTS/MIGRANTS-master675.jpg

Migrants on boat rescued off Indonesia recall horrific scenes

Crisis escalates as nearly 800 people rescued from boat that was sinking off Indonesian coast

http://i.guim.co.uk/media/w-620/h--/q-95/0b344b3b56e11bb4d27ba8a16a031574ff53a569/0_0_2847_1708/1000.jpg

Les Rohingyas de Birmanie à la dérive

Dans les eaux d’Asie du Sud-Est, plusieurs milliers de Bangladais et de Rohingyas dérivent dans des conditions déplorables, parfois sans vivres ni même eau. Les Rohingyas sont des musulmans apatrides, pourchassés depuis trois ans par la Birmanie à majorité bouddhiste. Ils fuient les répercussions dont ils font l’objet. Ces derniers mois, la Malaisie était souvent leur destination finale. Mais, depuis la semaine dernière, le pays a décidé de fermer ses frontières aux boat people.

▻http://www.rfi.fr/asie-pacifique/20150518-birmanie-rohingyas-musulmans-birmanie-malaisie-indonesie-thailande-non-ingerence/?aef_campaign_date=2015-05-18&aef_campaign_ref=partage_aef&dlvrit=1448817&ns_cam

En Indonésie, les habitants affluent pour aider les migrants

Les habitants de Langsa, une ville à majorité musulmane située dans le nord de Sumatra, la principale île d’Indonésie, affluent vers un refuge de migrants, des Rohingya – peuple birman de confession musulmane –, pour donner de la nourriture et des vêtements.

Les nations d’Asie du Sud-Est ont décidé d’entamer des consultations diplomatiques sur le sort de ces milliers de migrants en perdition en mer. Depuis dimanche, la Malaisie accentue sa pression sur la Birmanie, un des pays, avec le Bangladesh, à l’origine de cet exode.

▻http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/video/2015/05/18/en-indonesie-les-habitants-affluent-pour-aider-les-migrants_4635633_3216.htm

Joint Statement by UNHCR, OHCHR, IOM and SRSG for Migration and Development: Search and rescue at sea, disembarkation, and protection of the human rights of refugees and migrants now imperative to save lives in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea
▻http://www.unhcr.org/555aee739.html

Asia Pacific: lack of regional cooperation leaves Rohingya in dire straits

Bangkok, 19 May 2015 – For decades, countries in the Asia Pacific region have closed their borders to Rohingya migrants, leaving little space for protection. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is deeply concerned with the rapidly deteriorating situation the Rohingya are facing in the region and calls for urgent regional cooperation to find a solution.

▻http://en.jrs.net/Spotlight_Detail?TN=DTN-20150519061538

Malaysia, Indonesia agree to offer temporary shelter to 7,000 migrants

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to offer temporary shelter to the 7,000 migrants still at sea.

▻http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/05/20/Anifah-Malaysia-Indonesia-7000-migrants

Après une terrible épreuve en mer, des Rohingyas retrouvent l’humanité en Indonésie

LHOKSUKON, Indonésie, 18 mai (HCR) – Alors que les gouvernements de la région délibèrent pour savoir que faire des bateaux remplis de personnes vulnérables échoués en mer, le peuple d’Indonésie a agi.

▻http://www.unhcr.fr/555b47e2c.html#_ga=1.43558502.276338537.1383597137

Migrants rescued off Indonesian coast

About 400 refugees saved by fishermen as SE Asian nations agree to provide temporary shelter to thousands still at sea.

http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2015/5/20/c78ce0c014804b2694be3aaefec876cb_18.jpg

Scènes de carnage en #mer_d’Andaman

Au moins 2 000 migrants sont pris aux pièges des bateaux en mer d’Andaman, a fait savoir le Haut Commissariat pour les Réfugiés des Nations unies mardi 19 mai. Une situation désespérée qui aurait conduit à de véritables scènes de carnage à bord des embarcations selon des témoins qui ont pu débarquer dans la province d’Aceh en Indonésie.

▻http://www.rfi.fr/asie-pacifique/20150520-scenes-carnage-mer-andaman-migrants-rohingyas-bangladais

Asie du Sud-Est : des centaines de réfugiés en perdition en mer

Depuis plusieurs jours, des centaines de réfugiés, pour la plupart des Rohingyas, minorité musulmane originaire de Birmanie et du Bangladesh, voguent à la dérive en mer d’Andaman, fuyant les discriminations et les violences. Les Rohingyas sont considérés comme l’une des minorités les plus persécutées du monde par l’ONU. En 2013, Mediapart a réalisé un reportage en Birmanie permettant de mieux comprendre leur exil.

▻http://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/150515/asie-du-sud-est-des-centaines-de-refugies-en-perdition-en-mer

Rohingya Migrants From Myanmar, Shunned by Malaysia, Are Spotted Adrift in Andaman Sea

IN THE ANDAMAN SEA OFF THAILAND — A wooden fishing boat carrying several hundred desperate migrants from Myanmar was spotted adrift in the Andaman Sea between Thailand and Malaysia on Thursday, part of an exodus in which thousands of people have taken to the sea in recent weeks with no country willing to take them in.

▻http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/asia/burmese-rohingya-bangladeshi-migrants-andaman-sea.html

IOM Releases Funds to Tackle Migrant Crisis in Andaman Sea; Calls for Urgent Action to Save Lives

Thailand - IOM has released USD 1 million to launch operations to help migrants left in a desperate situation by people smugglers in Southeast Asia.

▻http://www.iom.int/news/iom-releases-funds-tackle-migrant-crisis-andaman-sea-calls-urgent-action-save-l

Migrants : la Thaïlande déploie un porte-hélicoptères

Pour la première fois, la Thaïlande s’engage activement dans des opérations de secours aux boat people en perdition dans la mer d’Andaman. Un porte-hélicoptères est déployé pour servir de centre de soins et d’opérations. Des patrouilles aériennes vont tenter de repérer les embarcations surchargées de migrants. Une intervention qui intervient à quelques jours d’une rencontre régionale convoquée par la junte thaïlandaise sur la crise des boat people.

http://scd.rfi.fr/sites/filesrfi/imagecache/rfi_16x9_1024_578/sites/images.rfi.fr/files/aef_image/thai_Navy_Angthong_0.jpg

Migrants Flooding Into Malaysia and Indonesia Trade One Nightmare for Another

GELUGOR, Malaysia — The more than 3,000 migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar who recently landed in Indonesia and Malaysia ended weeks of a nightmare at sea only to fall into an administrative limbo that could last years, even decades.

▻http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/world/asia/migrants-flooding-into-malaysia-trade-one-nightmare-for-another.html?smid=t

Migrants Rescued From the Sea Face Uncertainty in Indonesian Camps

BAYEUN, Indonesia — Mohammed Salim sat on a straw mat in an open-air tent, trying to avoid the stifling midday heat.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/05/28/world/28indonesia-web3/28indonesia-web3-master675.jpg