Emanuel Stoakes Chris Kelly/The Guardian
Being a landless refugee adrift in the waters off of Thailand and Malaysia is tough enough, but to also be victims of trafficking is hard to imagine. New reports indicate that thousands of Bangladeshi and ethnic Rohingya migrants are being held in huge cargo ships by human traffickers in the Andaman Sea.
A boat which carried Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants sits abandoned while thousands are believed to still be stranded at sea (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
First-hand accounts indicate that traffickers responded to a recent crackdown by authorities in Thailand and Malaysia by holding their victims in large vessels close to international waters. It is there that they ransomed the refugees for their freedom in return for money from relatives.
The practice, which has been accompanied by violence and other abuses, mirrors the fate of victims held in camps.
A survivor from one ship who agreed to be interviewed on condition of anonymity described an ordeal of violence and sexual abuse accompanied by demands for ransom payment.
The testimony of survivors has been reinforced by the accounts of Rohingya helped to shore by fishermen in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after being stranded at sea. For the Vietnamese American community, who know all too well the perils of being boat people, this story hits close to home.
To find out more, click here:
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/may/28/asian-refugee-crisis-trafficked-migrants-held-off-thailand-camp-boats
