Perilous Plight

Book excerpt: In early 2009, thousands of ethnic Rohingya Muslims from Burma and Bangladesh made perilous journeys by sea to southern Thailand and Indonesia. Scores are feared to have died as a result of Thailand's "push-back" policy: towing Rohingyas back out to sea to deter further arrivals. This report examines the causes of the exodus of Rohingya people from Burma and Bangladesh and their treatment once in flight. Repression and human rights violations continue against the Rohingya inside Burma, exacerbated by a draconian citizenship law that renders them stateless. Decades of mistreatment have pushed many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. From there, many pay to be smuggled to Malaysia via other Southeast Asian countries. Because they lack official papers, they live in fear of arrest and possible repatriation to Burma.