UN: Hundreds of Rohingya Died at Sea in 2023

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Image copyright: Shazia Rahman / Stringer via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that 569 Rohingya people — the mostly Muslim minority in Myanmar — died at sea last year while journeying across the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia. The hundreds of deaths are among the almost 4.5K who fled overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh in 2023.

  • According to the commissioner's statement, the number of reported missing or dead is now "the highest since 2014, when the total reached 730," with the number in 2023 rising more than 200 compared to 2022. It added that "some 66% of those embarking on these deadly journeys" are women and children.

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The Spin

Narrative A

The lack of international commitment to accepting the Rohingya is disappointing. It's particularly troubling coming from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which seem to be dealing with growing islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment. Even large Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, are dealing with this. If a small nation like Bangladesh can house many thousands Rohingya, larger states can, too.

Australian Institute of International Affairs

Narrative B

This crisis has been caused by the decrease in global aid for the Rohingya, which dropped below $500M last year. Global bodies should work to collect more donations, and then they can bolster efforts to repatriate these people in Myanmar safely. This may take some time because Myanmar is still a dangerous place for them, but it's positive that countries like China are leading negotiations.

Crisis Group

Metaculus Prediction