174 Rohingya Drown at Sea Fleeing Escalating Genocide and Violence in Burma
Media Release from Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
London, November 18, 2024 — The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) is deeply alarmed by the tragic loss of 174 Rohingya after their boat capsized on November 10 near Hai Gyi Island in Burma’s Ayeyarwady Region. Only six survivors, clinging to debris for days, were eventually rescued by a foreign ship and handed over to the Burmese Navy. The refugees had fled northern Rakhine State on November 1, escaping a surge in violence, escalating persecution, and the ongoing genocide against the Rohingya.
"Every boat of Rohingya refugees arriving in the region is a stark reminder of the world’s collective failure to protect a persecuted people," said Tun Khin, President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. "Children and families are risking their lives on unseaworthy boats because they have no safe options in Burma. The drowning of 174 Rohingya is not just another tragedy at sea—it is a direct consequence of ongoing genocide and brutal repression. The international community’s inaction has allowed these tragedies to persist."
BROUK has previously condemned the Arakan Army's (AA) escalating violence specifically targeting the Rohingya community in northern Rakhine State. The AA, a powerful ethnic armed group engaged in conflict with the Burmese military junta, has increasingly turned its violence on Rohingya civilians. This campaign of terror includes massacres, raids, and systematic oppression. In press releases in August and October 2024, BROUK denounced these attacks and urged international intervention. On August 5, the Arakan Army was responsible for a massacre that claimed the lives of up to 200 Rohingya civilians as they attempted to cross the Naf River into Bangladesh to escape violence. This atrocity followed a brutal assault on May 17, when Arakan Army forces nearly decimated the town of Buthidaung, inflicting further terror on the Rohingya.
More recently, on October 4, AA forces conducted early-morning raids on the Rohingya villages of Ah Twin Nget They and Hpon Nyo Leik in southern Buthidaung Township, with reports of threats, assaults, and arbitrary arrests. The AA has detained over 8,000 Rohingya in Buthidaung and Maungdaw in their detention facilities, furthering their campaign of repression.
Since these previous calls for international action, the violence has only worsened. The Arakan Army continues to wield its power to terrorize, displace, and brutalize the Rohingya community. Without urgent intervention, these atrocities will continue unabated. These deliberate and systematic acts reveal a blatant disregard for the safety and rights of Rohingya villagers, perpetuating a climate of fear and entrenching the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State.
BROUK calls on regional and international actors, including ASEAN and the United Nations, to urgently address the ongoing genocide and systemic persecution of the Rohingya so they are no longer forced to flee their homeland.
“The Arakan Army must face international sanctions if it does not stop its abuse of Rohingya civilians”, said Tun Khin, President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. “The UN Security Council also needs to take action on the non-implementation of the Provisional Measures set out by the International Court of Justice, which are being blatantly ignored, to halt the genocide of the Rohingya.”
Southeast Asian countries, especially those that have committed to the Bali Declaration, must also take concrete steps to provide safe disembarkation and asylum procedures for Rohingya refugees, ensuring that survivors of violence and forced displacement are met with protection and dignity, not indifference.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tun Khin, President of BROUK at +44 788 871 4866.
