According to local sources, 513 Rohingya who left Myanmar by sea in an attempt to reach Malaysia were intercepted by the Myanmar Navy near the Pauktaw coastline on November 21. The Navy reportedly opened fire before arresting them, and the detainees are still being held in Sittwe’s central police station and local prisons.
Among those arrested, 70 people are being held at the Sittwe central police station, 208 people at Police Station No. 36 near Sittwe University, and 250 people have been separated and detained inside the Sittwe Prison compound, residents of Sittwe said.
Of the detainees, 65 children have been released. These include 45 males and 20 females. Most of the arrested Rohingya are from Buthidaung and Maungdaw, and six are returnees who came back from Bangladesh refugee camps, according to reports.
The group reportedly left their homes on November 7, staying temporarily in Rathedaung and Ponnagyun islands. From there, they embarked on a large boat heading toward Malaysia when they were intercepted and fired upon by the Myanmar Navy.
Parents had entrusted brokers to take their children—aged 7 to 14—to Malaysia, where relatives live, in hopes of a safer future. A Rohingya resident said that due to the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), Rohingya people now face not only ethnic persecution on land but also the risk of dying at sea, leaving them with no way out.
