Over 200 Rohingya refugees died at sea in search for greener pasture – UNHCR

More than 200 Rohingya refugees are believed to have died or gone missing at sea in 2020 in search of a better life.

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said more than a third of those who made the perilous journey from refugee camps in Bangladesh to Malaysia and Indonesia were children.

Many starved at sea on boats operated by smugglers before being turned away at their final point of destination, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Rohingya Muslims had already fled their homes in Myanmar to escape persecution and returning to Bangladesh by sea has been complicated, with authorities refusing to allow most boats to dock in the country’s mainland.