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☆ Powerful storm snaps communications network in Myanmar's Rakhine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Strong winds and heavy rainfall is seen at ThekayPyin Rohingya camp, as Cyclone Mocha approaches, in Sittwe, Rakhine, Myanmar, May 14, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Some 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh ahead of Cyclone Mocha making landfall, as authorities and aid agencies scrambled to avoid heavy casualties. "All communication is still down and people are in trouble because all the roofs are gone," said Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army, which control swathes of Rakhine state. Benjamin Small, a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme, said it was hard to understand the scale of destruction because of ruptured communications in Rakhine. "The storm itself is a trigger for more problems as heavy rains continue and landslides and flooding tend to follow."

☆ Powerful cyclone barrels towards Myanmar, Bangladesh; 400,000 evacuated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But many more could suffer as the storm moves inland from the Bay of Bengal, the United Nations Satellite Centre has warned. "People at risk are in the process of being transferred to safe shelters and we are also arranging relief packages," said Farah Kabir of ActionAid Bangladesh. Most refugees live in makeshift dwellings in the densely packed camps after having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. "We have arranged for meals in co-operation with local residents but if this becomes long-term, there will be more problems." About 6 million people are already in need of humanitarian assistance and 1.2 million are displaced in Rakhine and the northwest, OCHA says.

REUTERS/Ruma PaulCOX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Mohammed Ismail says four of his relatives were killed by gunmen at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh between April and October last year. The group has fought against Myanmar's security forces and some Rohingya say it has been recruiting fighters, often through coercion, in the Bangladesh camps. Ismail, who lives with his parents, wife and brother, says he fears for his life and understands why some Rohingya are fleeing Bangladesh. A FRAUGHT CHOICEReuters spoke with several refugees who returned to the Bangladesh camps after abandoning journeys to Malaysia, via Myanmar, out of trepidation. "People are risking their lives on sea journeys as there is no future here and criminal activities are rising," Aziz said.

☆ At least 20 reported dead as Rohingya boats land in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PIDIE, Indonesia, Dec 27 (Reuters) - At least 20 Rohingya have died at sea in recent weeks, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, as boats carrying hundreds of the persecuted Muslims landed in Indonesia while others were believed to be adrift in the Indian Ocean. Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, which provides support to Rohingya, said the boat was the same as one earlier reported missing and feared to have sank. Some activists believe the lifting of COVID restrictions around Southeast Asia, a favoured destination for the Rohingya, could be a factor. The group is the latest in a series of boat landings and rescues around the region in recent weeks. There were 57 other Rohingya who reached Aceh on Sunday, while two other boats carrying a combined 230 people landed in November.

☆ At least a 100 Rohingya stranded in boat off India's coast, many dead, activists say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - At least 100 ethnic Rohingya are stranded in a boat off India's Andaman Islands and as many as 16-20 may have have died of thirst, hunger or drowned, said two Myanmar Rohingya activist groups. Each year many Rohingya, members of a Muslim minority, risk their lives boarding rickety vessels to escape violence in Myanmar and squalor in Bangladesh refugee camps. A spokesperson for the Indian Navy said he did not have any details to share. Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network’s Rohingya Working Group said the group had been adrift for more than two weeks. "We hope that the Indian Navy or Coastguard will manage to rescue and disembark the boat as soon as possible.

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