Victims were from Bangladesh, Myanmar, says UNHCR report on human trafficking
At least 70 people are estimated to have died of starvation, dehydration, disease and abuse by the crews at sea on ships abandoned in May this year, said the UN Refugee Agency yesterday.
With the new figure, the UNHCR estimates that over 1,100 people (Bangladeshis and/or Rohingyas of Myanmar) died between January 2014 and June 2015.
Additionally, there were reports of drowning while disembarking, and many remained missing, the UNHCR said in a quarterly report of April and June.
Following the Asian migrant crisis, CARAM Asia, a regional NGO based in Malaysia, said in June that over 500 Bangladeshis were missing.
The deaths in May occurred when Thai authorities began a crackdown on illegal migration following the discovery of mass graves early May and the regional countries — Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand — had initially refused to accept the boatpeople drifting at sea.
In some cases, the vessels with refugees or migrants, abandoned by the human traffickers, were pushed back to the sea further.
Later, these countries rescued some 4,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
However, some 1,000 people, who were thought to be in the sea in May, remain unaccounted for. They may have unofficially disembarked without the knowledge of the authorities, the UNHCR says.
The Bangladeshis rescued by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar are being repatriated.
The UNHCR says between January 2014 and June 2015 approximately 94,000 refugees and migrants departed from Bangladesh and/or Myanmar. Of those, 31,000 left in six months of this year.
“Although no departures have been reported since May, this still represents a 34 percent increase compared to the first half of 2014,” according to the report.
Media reports suggest that the human traffickers lure the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, a persecuted minority in Myanmar, into taking the risky voyage with the promise of jobs in Malaysia. Some voluntarily want to go there without knowing the realities in the sea or in Thailand and Malaysia.
Throughout the treacherous sea journey, many die and are dumped into the sea. Those who survive suffer from starvation, dehydration and are also tortured in the boats crammed with people, including women and children.
Once they arrive in Thailand, they are held hostage for ransoms and are forced to call their families at home for payments. Those who manage to pay are pushed into Malaysia or forced to servitude in the jungle camps or sold in the Thai fishing or plantation industry.
Amid global criticism, Thailand in early May this year began a raid against the human trafficking syndicates in its southern region when it discovered mass graves and exhumed at least 36 bodies of either Bangladeshis or Rohingyas. Malaysia also exhumed 106 bodies in late May and 24 bodies on August 22 from the hilly graves at Wang Kelian in Perlis.
In late 2014 and early this year, the UNHCR said, smugglers changed their usual practice of disembarking passengers to Thailand and then taking them overland into Malaysia after realising ransom.
“Instead, demands for ransom were sometimes being made at sea, and upon payment, some passengers were disembarking in groups of 60-80 directly to Malaysia,” the report said.
Regional countries and the UN agencies and international community met in Thailand on May 29 and set a number of recommendations to prevent human trafficking and address its root causes.
The UNHCR, however, said, “Implementation of most of the proposals and recommendations has yet to begin, including the establishment of a joint taskforce.”
The UN refugee agency said it would continue to monitor the irregular maritime movement, and is exploring the possibility of using satellite imagery to identify smugglers’ boats in the waters such as off St Martin’s Island in Bangladesh, Ranong of Thailand and Langkawi of Malaysia.
Source: The Daily Star
