Seasonal calmer waters have seen an increase in the number of Rohingya putting their lives in the hands of traffickers in a desperate bid to reach Malaysia or Indonesia by boat. But few make it as far as Kawthaung, Myanmar's southern-most tip, where the group of 173 were picked up mid-December. They were taken to Thechaung camp, while the remaining 156 were transported further north to Ngakhuya camp in Maungdaw township, Rakhine State minister for security and border affairs said. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands more Rohingya remain in Myanmar's Rakhine in what Amnesty International has branded "apartheid" conditions. The captured Rohingya came from both sides of the border, Min Than said, although it was unclear how they ended up on the same boat.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 14, 2020 12:45 UTC