Rohingyas can’t be left to starve at sea

On April 16, 396 Rohingya were rescued by Bangladesh Coast Guard after two months of drifting at sea. According to UNHCR, 32 people lost their lives during the harrowing journey, and the surviving passengers are severely dehydrated and malnourished as they ran out of food and water. The trawler, which reportedly set sail from Cox's Bazar for Malaysia, was turned away by the Malaysian authorities and after several failed attempts to land, it made its way back towards Bangladesh.

It is truly unfortunate that local and regional authorities have been able to do little to dismantle the human trafficking network that runs from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand and Malaysia, exploiting refugees' helplessness to trap them into a life that is often as precarious—if not more—as the one they are trying to leave behind.

It is imperative to stop any illegal movement out of the country at this time, and the Rohingya community must be warned of the near death sentence that awaits trafficking victims, with borders being closed and countries like Malaysia proving, time and again, that they have no qualms about pushing sick and starving Rohingyas out to sea.

In fact, Malaysian authorities have turned away a second boat carrying about 200 Rohingya refugees, including children, on April 17, being fully aware of the ruthless consequences of such a decision. These "pushback" actions and policies violate the principal of non-refoulement, which states that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm. It is a part of customary international law and binding on all states.

We urge the Malaysian authorities to uphold their commitments under international law and provide at least temporary shelter to refugees in these dangerous times. We also call upon UN authorities to engage with member states to deploy search and rescue missions for starving Rohingyas still adrift at sea.

We appreciate that Bangladesh has rescued these refugees and set up transit camps for them, and hope that other countries will follow suit.