Burma: 20,000 People Have Risked Lives Crossing the Indian Ocean
Categories: Articles:Human Rights |
Published: 26/08/2014 |
Views: 1616
In its Irregular Maritime Movements report, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has revealed that an estimated 87,000 people have embarked on dangerous journeys across Southeast Asian waters since July 2012 in order to escape the violence in Burma's Rakhine State. 53,000 are thought to have journeyed in the 12 months ending June 2014, an increase of 61 per cent. (The Independent)
Many of these asylum seekers are Rohingya, an Islamic ethnic group who were victim of riots in Burma that left over 100,000 displaced, and who are paying up to $300 to board overcrowded vessels at the Bay of Bengal. Bangladeshis are also embarking on what the UN calls this "dangerous journey in search of safety and stability". Most are men, but there are growing number of women and children seeking asylum. Independent, 25/08/14 Read the report here
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