HUMAN RIGHTS AT SEA PRESS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE
London. 12 May 2015. Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) has become aware through direct reporting to the organisation of the emerging issue of trafficked persons and migrants abandoned at sea predominantly comprised of the persecuted Rohingya people in the vicinity of the northern part of the Malacca Straits and around the north west of Aceh Province.
It is assessed at this early stage of reporting that the numbers of abandoned persons could be in the 1000s onboard a number of vessels, possibly operating together as flotilla. Details of the precise type of vessels are unknown at this time, though they are thought to be flying either Indonesian or Thai flags.
HRAS urges the global shipping community and owners to consider acting on this information for vessels in the vicinity and transiting the straits to be aware of the issue and to be vigilant.
At this time, it is not believed that any formal Search and Rescue effort has been established, though the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Bangkok have both made statements to the effect that a regional Search and rescue effort is required and should be supported.
The Buddhist-majority in Myanmar views its population of Muslim Rohingya, estimated at more than 1.3 million, as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. It is widely reported that the UN considers them to be among the world’s most persecuted minorities.
Human Rights at Sea first raised this issue in October 2014 with a dedicated case study: http://www.humanrightsatsea.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/20141027-HRAS_Case_Study_Human_Trafficking_Thailand.pdf
Human Rights at Sea Founder, David Hammond, said this morning: “ The information coming into Human Rights at Sea is that this is the tip of the iceberg. The smugglers are now retaining the migrants in ships and staying out at sea to avoid detection. Issues being highlighted are the conditions onboard if the migrants cannot be off-loaded and what the traffickers will do with those migrants to avoid detention and arrest.
The area to be searched in the Malacca Strait and around Aceh Province is significant in size and would require a considerable and comprehensive regional Search and Rescue (SAR) effort. This effort could be enhanced by vessels passing through the Straits and in the vicinity being involved from a SAR perspective.
If the reports HRAS are receiving are correct, the search criteria could be narrowed in that the vessels apparently being used are of a significant size with accounts of up to a 1000 people on each vessel.
If there is not an immediate and concerted SAR operation due to regional political concerns that these migrants and individuals being trafficked may then wish to seek refugee status and associated protections, we will undoubtedly have mass casualties on our hands and the slow death of innocent people at sea. This is quite simply unacceptable if the issue of abandoned people at sea is known about and not acted upon”.
Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) has been independently developed for the benefit of the international community for matters and issues concerning human rights in the maritime environment. Its aim is to explicitly raise awareness, implementation and accountability of human rights provisions throughout the maritime environment, especially where they are currently absent, ignored or being abused.
Related new articles:
Voice of America – Appeals Made to SE Asian Governments to Rescue Migrants – 12 May 2015
The Maritime Executive – HRAS Warns of Thousands Abandoned at Sea – 12 May 2015
IHS Maritime 360 – HRAS alerts shipping to Andaman Sea migrant crisis – 12 May 2015
Seatrade Global – HRAS calls for action on growing migrant crisis in north of the Malacca Straits – 12 May 2015
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