April 14 (Reuters) - Around 250 people were missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies
250 Missing After Rohingya Refugee Boat Sinks in Andaman Sea, UN Agencies Say
UN Reports on Rohingya Refugee Boat Tragedy
Incident Overview
April 14 (Reuters) - Around 250 people were missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
The UN agencies said the trawler carrying around 250 men, women and children reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding. It had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia.
UN Agencies' Response
"This tragedy highlights the devastating human cost of protracted displacement and the continued absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya," said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration.
Background on Rohingya Refugee Crisis
History of Displacement
For years, many of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority have embarked on rickety wooden boats to try to reach neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, in a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar or overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.
International Community's Role
The agencies called on the international community to step up and sustain funding for lifesaving assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as well as support for Bangladeshi host communities.
2017 Myanmar Military Offensive
In 2017, Myanmar's armed forces launched an offensive that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes and into neighbouring Bangladesh, where they recounted killings, mass rape and arson. A U.N. fact-finding mission concluded the 2017 military offensive had included "genocidal acts".
Myanmar's Response
Buddhist-majority Myanmar has denied genocide, and says the U.N. fact-finding mission was not objective or reliable.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul and Mihika Sharma, editing by Deepa Babington)
