Boat disasters off the coast of Myanmar: STP calls for protection for the Rohingya

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the estimated total of more than 500 dead and missing following two maritime disasters off the coast of Myanmar highlights the international community’s failure to protect the Rohingya. The human rights organization is calling on the German government to reverse its cuts to humanitarian aid and to do more to protect the Rohingya.

According to the UNHCR and the IOM, two boats left Rakhine State in Myanmar at the end of June. Most of those on board were Rohingya. Preliminary reports suggest that among them were also some who had previously been living in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The deadly escape route from Myanmar and Bangladesh across the sea towards Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand is one of the most dangerous in the world. The number of crossings has multiplied within just a few years. In 2025 alone, according to UN figures, almost 900 Rohingya were reported dead or missing at sea.

“Fleeing via this life-threatening route shows just how desperate the situation of the Rohingya is. This minority from Myanmar has been living under persecution and statelessness for decades. Even in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, they still find neither protection nor any long-term perspective. Cuts to international humanitarian aid are further exacerbating their plight. The recurring boat disasters are a reflection of the political failure to finally provide effective protection and lasting solutions.”

In Myanmar, violence against the Rohingya repeatedly escalates. In their home state of Rakhine, the Rohingya remain caught in the crossfire between the Myanmar military and the rebel group, the Arakan Army. The military has been blocking humanitarian aid since the end of 2023. Around 1.2 million Rohingya have been living in refugee camps in Bangladesh since their mass expulsion from Myanmar and the genocide in 2017. The humanitarian situation there is also catastrophic. Natural disasters and flooding pose a further threat to the camps. In the overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, at least 17 people, including children, have lost their lives in landslides over the past few weeks. International funding is steadily declining—Germany, too, has more than halved its overseas humanitarian aid since 2024, from 2.23 to 1.05 billion euros.

The STP calls on the German government to fulfill its humanitarian obligations, to support safe and legal routes of escape, and to work towards an end to the violence in Myanmar. The expulsion of the Rohingya is the subject of the genocide case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice, which Germany has joined as an intervening state; a ruling is expected later in 2026.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.