The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) released a strongly worded statement on 10 November accusing the Arakan Army of a systemic campaign of abuse which led Rohingya refugees to flee in a boat which later capsized near the maritime border between Malaysia and Thailand.
The text of the statement is as follows.
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) expresses its deepest sorrow and strongest condemnation following the tragic sinking of a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and other migrants off the coast of Malaysia, near the Thailand–Malaysia maritime boundary. According to Malaysian maritime authorities, one body has been recovered and “dozens” remain missing after an overloaded vessel believed to be carrying about 90 people capsized near the area of Tarutao Island, Thailand, drifting toward Langkawi Island, Malaysia.
The incident reportedly involved migrants who initially boarded a larger vessel in Myanmar’s Arakan State carrying 300 Rohingya from Buthidaung Township and then transferred to smaller boats to avoid detection when it came closer to the Malaysian coast.
This horrific event must not be seen as a mere accident. It is another consequence of the ongoing genocidal persecution and campaign of erasure against the Rohingya people in their ancestral land of Arakan State, Myanmar. ARNC has repeatedly warned that the Arakan Army (AA) has undertaken a systematic campaign to render Arakan Rohingya-free through killings, forced displacement, arbitrary arrests, force recruitment, destruction of Rohingya villages and policies of siege. These brutal tactics have left thousands of Rohingya civilians trapped without food, security or hope, pushing many into deadly sea crossings out of desperation.
This tragedy is not simply an unfortunate occurrence; it is the direct result of the Arakan Army’s atrocities and the sustained persecution that continue to drive Rohingya families into the sea, where countless lives are being lost.
ARNC strongly condemns these inhuman acts and issues an urgent call for international intervention to end the suffering of the Rohingya people.
ARNC hereby appeals to:
-The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to fulfil its humanitarian obligations and establish a regional protection mechanism for Rohingya refugees and migrants at sea and onshore and to establish a joint task force to investigate human trafficking gangs and hold them to account.
-The United Kingdom to immediately convene a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the crisis in Arakan State, including violations of international law by the Burmese military and Arakan Army, breaches of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, starvation in Rakhine State, the crisis for Rohingya refugees impacted by aid cuts, and human trafficking.
-The European Union (EU), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United States (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) to sanction the Arakan Army and its leaders for their role in violations of international law.
-Regional governments, especially Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, to ensure safe disembarkation, thorough search-and-rescue operations, and humane treatment for all survivors regardless of legal status.
-The international community must not remain indifferent while an entire people are being driven from their homeland, and many are forced to risk death at sea. The Rohingya are facing a renewed wave of genocide under the guise of conflict in Arakan, and global silence only emboldens the perpetrators.
ARNC reiterates its unwavering demand for justice, accountability, and the full restoration of Rohingya indigenous rights in their homeland in Arakan State.
