The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned Friday that «loss of life» is occurring due to migrant shipwrecks in the Andaman Sea and specifically lamented the situation of a boat currently in the area waiting for a safe port in which to disembark.
The UN agency has again called in a statement for the «rescue and safe disembarkation» of boats left adrift in the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca and has asserted that «lack of action to save lives leads to tragedies to further misery».
«UNHCR remains gravely concerned about the harsh conditions faced by more than 200 Rohingya refugees on board a boat. The boat has been adrift since late November and is now in the waters of the Strait of Malacca,» the text states.
Several reports indicate that ten people have already died, while the survivors «are starving and dehydrated». It has therefore again called on «responsible states to rescue those on the boat and allow them to disembark safely in accordance with international law.» «Swift action can save lives,» UNHCR said.
Both the agency and its partners have indicated that they are «ready to continue to support the various States in the area to search and rescue the individuals concerned and to provide them with the necessary assistance and protection.»
