Over 500 Rohingya feared dead in dual boat tragedies; Rights group blames Arakan Army

More than 500 Rohingya men, women, and children are feared dead after two boats capsized off the coast of Myanmar, a catastrophic loss of life that a prominent rights organization says was entirely preventable and tied directly to the region’s ongoing crisis. The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) reported that the victims were fleeing persecution and violence in Arakan State, making a desperate bid for safety despite the perilous monsoon season. According to BROUK sources, both vessels departed from areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group that has seized 14 out of 17 townships in Arakan. The rights group has leveled severe accusations against the AA, alleging that the group is deeply involved in human trafficking networks, profiting from the exodus, and actively facilitating the boarding of both doomed vessels. Timeline of the tragedies The first boat, carrying an estimated 280 people, departed from Pauktaw Township on June 29. BROUK alleges that traffickers requested permission from the AA to delay the departure due to severe weather forecasts, which predicted torrential rain, thunderstorms, 30 mph squalls, and nine-foot waves. The AA reportedly refused the delay, stating that more Rohingya were arriving and the boat needed to depart. The vessel is believed to have sunk around July 7. A second boat, carrying approximately 250 passengers, reportedly left Ponnagyun Township on July 4 and is believed to have capsized around July 11. BROUK is currently working to verify the exact departure details and the date the vessel went down. Both boats were believed to be navigating the treacherous Andaman Sea en route to Malaysia or Indonesia. ‘No Safe Place Left to Go Advocates emphasize that the timing of the journeys underscores the sheer desperation of the passengers. “No family would risk crossing the Andaman Sea during the height of the monsoon unless remaining in Rakhine was even more dangerous,” BROUK said in a statement. “These boats were not carrying people seeking a better life. They were carrying people who had nowhere safe left to go.” The rights group warned that the systematic erasure of the Rohingya did not end with the Myanmar military’s genocidal campaign in 2017. BROUK asserts that the same policies of persecution, dispossession, and sexual violence have intensified under the AA’s control of Arakan. Tun Khin, President of BROUK, condemned the forces driving the exodus. “These Rohingya did not die because of dangerous weather at sea. They died because of the policies of the Arakan Army, which tries to force Rohingya to flee and then profits through its involvement in human trafficking when Rohingya do flee,” Tun Khin said. Calls for International Action The Andaman Sea has frequently been described by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as an “unmarked grave” for the Rohingya. However, advocates argue that the international community’s inaction is exacerbating the crisis. Tun Khin warned that global governments are repeating past mistakes by maintaining a policy of “quiet private engagement” with the AA, similar to the approach taken with the Myanmar military prior to the 2017 atrocities, which have been labeled a genocide by the U.S. government. “Their silence is creating a sense of impunity that encourages the Arakan Army to continue escalating human rights violations against Rohingya,” he stated, adding that the Rohingya are continually forced to choose between “genocide in their homeland and misery, hunger and slow death in refugee camps in Bangladesh.” In the wake of the tragedies, BROUK is urgently calling on the international community to abandon its current diplomatic approach and instead impose targeted sanctions and other forms of pressure against the AA for its violations of international law and its role in human trafficking.