Dozens feared dead as Malaysia-bound trafficking boat capsizes near Andaman Islands

Shuvo | Cox’s Bazar

A humanitarian catastrophe is feared after a Malaysia-bound trawler carrying more than 250 trafficked Bangladeshis and Rohingya capsized near the Andaman Islands.

The incident came to light after nine survivors were rescued. The Bangladesh-flagged vessel MT Meghna Pride found them floating at sea and later handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

Survivors described harrowing accounts of human trafficking and the deadly incident.

Rohingya survivor Rafiqul Islam said he was lured with a job offer from Kutupalong Bazar on April 2 and taken to a house in Rajarchhara area of Teknaf’s Kachhopia union, where he was held with 20–25 others in inhumane conditions. He said they were subjected to severe abuse whenever they tried to leave, and many houses in the area were used to
detain trafficked victims.

On April 4 night, they were taken from the Marine Drive adjacent coast near Rajarchhara and boarded onto small fishing boats. At one point, they were forced to hide in the bush when a Border Guard Bangladesh patrol vehicle passed. They were later transferred in stages to a larger fishing trawler near Myanmar waters, close to Saint Martin’s Island.

More people were loaded onto the vessel, bringing the total to around 280, including 13 crew members and traffickers, 21 Rohingya women, and four children. About 150 of the passengers were Rohingya, while the rest were Bangladeshis.

After leaving the sea near Shamila on April 4, the trawler reached near the Andaman Islands on April 8. Due to rough seas, traffickers forced passengers into four cramped storage compartments meant for fish and nets. Around 25 to 30 victims reportedly died from
suffocation and overcrowding. Survivors said traffickers threatened to sink the trawler if those on deck refused to move into the compartments. Eventually, the vessel capsized after being hit by large waves.

Rafiqul said he survived by clinging to a two-litre water bottle, while he could not say what happened to the others. He was rescued along with eight others on April 9 by a Bangladesh-flagged ship.

Another survivor, Md Imran from Kutupalong Rohingya camp, said he joined the journey hoping to escape camp life. “When we reached near the Andaman Sea, the trawler sank. I held onto a water tank and fought for my life for two days before being rescued by a Bangladeshi ship,” he said. “I still cannot process how many people died. Living with this memory is extremely painful. I am still unwell and have returned home through a court order.”

The Coast Guard has filed a case under the Human Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Act with Teknaf Model Police Station.

According to the case statement, the victims were being transported illegally to Malaysia on a boat named “Tanjina Sultana” when it sank due to adverse weather.

Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam of Teknaf Model Police Station said the nine rescued individuals were brought to the station. Legal action has been taken against six traffickers, and three victims have been sent home through court orders after initial questioning.

Among the rescued, six are Bangladeshi nationals and three are Rohingya.

He said the recured persons are not telling clearly what happened to the trawler and how they were floating the sea.

“We don’t figure out how many people were there on the sinking boat”, he said. At one stage he refused to talk to this correspondent.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan in a press release, said the vessel MT Meghna Pride, en route from Chattogram to Indonesia, rescued nine people — eight men and one woman — from the deep sea near the Andaman Islands on April 9 afternoon. They were later handed over at midnight to the Coast Guard patrol ship Mansur Ali.

The rescued individuals were identified as Md Imran, Rahela Begum, Hridoy, Sohan Uddin, Md Akbar, Rafiqul Islam, Tofayel, Sayad Alam, and Md Hamid.