Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

17 dead as Rohingya boat breaks up off Myanmar

More than 50 people were thought to be on the boat heading for Malaysia when it got into trouble

17 dead as Rohingya boat breaks up off Myanmar

AT LEAST 17 people drowned when a boat carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state broke up at sea this week, rescuers said Thursday (10).

Thousands of Rohingya risk their lives each year making perilous sea journeys from camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar to try to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia.

Byar La, a rescuer from the Shwe Yaung Metta Foundation in the town of Sittwe, said more than 50 people were thought to be on the boat heading for Malaysia when it got into trouble in heavy seas on Sunday (6) night.

"We found 17 dead bodies... as of yesterday," he said.

"We found eight men alive. Police have taken them for questioning."

Rescuers are still trying to find those unaccounted for, he said, although the exact number on board is not known.

Rakhine in Buddhist-majority Myanmar is home to around 600,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are considered migrants from Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and freedom of movement.

Deadly sea crossings

More than 3,500 Rohingya in 39 vessels attempted to cross the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2022, up from 700 the previous year, according to the United Nations refugee agency’s January data.

At least 348 Rohingya died or went missing at sea last year, the agency said, calling for a regional response to stop further drownings.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says calls for maritime authorities in the region "to rescue and disembark people in distress have gone unheeded with many boats adrift for weeks".

Amnesty International likens the living conditions of Rohingya people in Rakhine state to "apartheid".

A Myanmar military crackdown in 2017 forced some 750,000 Rohingya to flee Rakhine for Bangladesh following widespread accounts of murder, arson and rape.

Myanmar is facing genocide accusations at the United Nation's top court following the mass exodus.

Bangladesh and Myanmar have discussed efforts to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees to their homeland.

A top US rights envoy in Bangladesh said in July that conditions remain unsafe for the return of ethnic Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

Funding cuts forced the United Nations food agency to reduce rations to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh twice this year.

A cyclone ravaged Rakhine in May and the military junta has blocked international efforts to deliver aid.

Myanmar has been in chaos since Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government was toppled in a military coup in February 2021, ending its brief period of democracy.

(AFP)

More For You

uk-railways-iStock

The package includes £415 million to upgrade the rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York, a route affected by delays and disruptions. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Government announces £1.7 bn transport investment for the North

THE GOVERNMENT has announced a £1.7 billion investment to improve transport infrastructure across the North, focusing on buses, roads, and rail.

The funding aims to upgrade key routes and improve connectivity across the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Keir-Starmer-Getty

Keir Starmer’s communications chief has resigned after nine months in Downing Street. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Starmer’s communications chief Matthew Doyle resigns after nine months

KEIR STARMER’s communications chief, Matthew Doyle, has resigned after nine months in Downing Street. Doyle, a Labour veteran who previously worked for Tony Blair, joined Starmer’s team as communications director four years ago when the party was in opposition.

His departure follows that of Sue Gray, Starmer’s former chief of staff, who left in the autumn. Doyle’s exit is expected to lead to the promotions of James Lyons to director of communications (strategy) and Steph Driver to director of communications (delivery), according to the BBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester leaders push for major expansion amid local government shake-up

Leicester’s population is expected to grow from 372,000 now to just over 600,000 by 2028

Leicester leaders push for major expansion amid local government shake-up

Hannah Richardson

LEICESTER leaders have named the areas they want to be incorporated into the city amid a shake-up of local government structures. The massive expansion plan would see a number of towns and villages at the city’s edges brought inside Leicester’s boundary.

Leicester City Council is looking to take part of Blaby and Harborough districts, and part of Oadby and Wigston and Charnwood boroughs. Among the communities being eyed up are Glenfield, Oadby, Wigston, Blaby, Whetstone, Syston, Anstey, Leicester Forest East, Birstall, Kirby Muxloe, Thurmaston and Countesthorpe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lakshmi-Mittal-Getty

Mittal, who built his steel business over five decades, moved to the UK in 1995. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Lakshmi Mittal may leave UK after non-dom tax abolition: report

STEEL tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is considering leaving the UK following the government’s decision to abolish the non-domiciled tax status. The move would make him one of the most prominent entrepreneurs to leave due to the tax reform.

Mittal, who has lived in the UK for three decades, has informed associates that his departure is likely due to Labour’s decision to end the non-dom regime, which allowed certain residents to avoid paying UK tax on foreign income.

Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had 'temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.' (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles cancels engagements after cancer treatment side effects

KING CHARLES has postponed his engagements for Thursday and Friday after experiencing side effects from his ongoing cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace announced.

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had "temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital."

Keep ReadingShow less