UN agencies urge gov'ts to save lives in Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea

The UN related agencies on Tuesday issued a joint statement, strongly urging the leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to protect migrants and refugees stranded on vessels in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, to facilitate safe disembarkation, and to give priority to saving lives.

"We are deeply concerned at reports that boats full of vulnerable women, men and children are unable to land and are stranded at sea without access to urgently needed food, water, and medical assistance. We urge States in the region to protect the lives of all aboard by allowing the passengers on these overcrowded boats to disembark safely," the statement said.

The joint statement was signed by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration William L. Swing, and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration and Development Peter Sutherland.

According to the statement, in Southeast Asia, more than 88,000 people have made the dangerous voyage by sea since 2014, including 25,000 who arrived in the first quarter of this year alone.

Nearly 1,000 are believed to have perished at sea due to the precarious conditions of the voyage, and an equal number because of mistreatment and privation at the hands of traffickers and abusive smugglers.

"In the Bay of Bengal, migrants and refugees are fed only white rice and are subjected to violence, including sexual violence. Women are raped. Children are separated from their families and abused. Men are beaten and thrown overboard," the statement said.

"Grave events in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in recent days involving migrants and refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar confirm that vulnerable people around the world are moving in search of safety and dignity, fleeing persecution, abject poverty, deprivation, discrimination, and abuse. Such perilous journeys, whether by land, sea, or air, have become a global phenomenon," the statement added.

The statement called on leaders to make saving lives the top priority by strengthening search and rescue operations, stopping boat push-backs, providing for effective and predictable disembarkation to a place of safety with adequate and humane reception conditions, and avoid the use of immigration detention and other punitive measures.

It also urged the leaders in the region to expand avenues for safe and legal migration, expand efforts to prosecute traffickers and smugglers for their crimes, redouble efforts to address "push factors" and the root causes of refugee and migrants flows, as well as to put in place dedicated measures to combat xenophobia and discrimination against any groups. Endit