Rohingya Boat Sinking is a Direct Result of Global Failure

Press Release

The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) expresses its profound grief and outrage over the sinking of a refugee boat in the Andaman Sea carrying approximately 250–280 people, mainly Rohingya refugees. The boat had departed from Teknaf in Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia before capsizing after days at sea in overcrowded conditions. These were genocide survivors, including women and children. The majority are now feared missing.

This tragedy has devastated Rohingya communities already enduring years of persecution and displacement. Entire families have been lost, and others left separated across the region as loved ones wait in anguish for news. These journeys are undertaken despite the known risk of death, not out of choice, but out of desperation. This is also not an isolated incident. Deadly maritime journeys involving Rohingya refugees are increasing, with hundreds killed in similar incidents in 2024 and 2025 alone. They are also not accidental. They are the direct result of ongoing genocide and persecution in Myanmar, protracted statelessness, and the continued failure of the international community to act.

Without sustained and meaningful pressure, more Rohingya will be forced onto these journeys, and more lives will be lost. The impunity of Myanmar’s military leadership, including Min Aung Hlaing, has allowed crimes against the Rohingya to continue without consequence. At the same time, Rohingya communities in Rakhine State face ongoing violence and atrocity crimes, including under the control of the Arakan Army, making safe return impossible.

Conditions for Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh are intolerable. Severe restrictions on livelihoods and the inability to work have left families with no viable future. Cuts to humanitarian aid, including food rations, have deepened hardship, while prolonged uncertainty has driven widespread despair. Increasing numbers of Rohingya continue to arrive, fleeing violence against Rohingya by the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. These conditions are forcing families to leave, not by choice, but because they have no other option.

Human trafficking networks are exploiting this desperation. Rohingya refugees are lured onto boats with false promises of employment and safety abroad, including in Malaysia, only to face inhumane conditions at sea. These networks operate across the region in a well-established system of exploitation, sustained by the absence of protection and accountability. According to our credible sources, from whom we have collected information over several years, human traffickers gather victims in Thamee Hla village, located in Rathedaung Township of Rakhine State, under the supervision of the Arakan Army. This human-trafficking hub must be dismantled by any means necessary to prevent further tragedies.

The continued loss of Rohingya lives at sea is the direct consequence of a failure to protect them. The international community has not upheld its commitments, has not applied sufficient pressure on Myanmar and other responsible actors, and has allowed this crisis to continue. This is a profound betrayal of the Rohingya people.

The ARNC calls on the international community, including the United Nations and ASEAN, to take immediate and concrete action to:

Dismantle and prosecute human trafficking networks;
Restore and increase humanitarian funding for Rohingya refugees;
Strengthen international protection mechanisms;
Ensure accountability for perpetrators of crimes against the Rohingya; and
Exert sustained pressure to create conditions for safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation with full citizenship rights and guarantees of protection.

The ARNC remains committed to advocating for justice, protection, and the full restoration of the rights of the Rohingya people.

For more information, please contact:

Tun Khin: +44 78 8871 4866
Nay San Lwin: +49 176 6213 9138
Khairul Amin: +47 9 242 8989