The Sri Lankan Navy has rescued 102 people who were floating in the sea in a boat. It is assumed that they are all Rohingya refugees. They were found off the north coast of Sri Lanka on a fishing trawler.
Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya gave this information on Friday.
The trawler was first spotted by fishermen off Sri Lanka's northern coast last Thursday, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing Lankan authorities. The trawler was carrying 102 people including 25 children and 30 women. Navy ships later brought them to a naval base on Sri Lanka's east coast. There they are provided with first aid, food and drink.
Navy spokesperson Wickramasuriya said, due to language problems, they could not be sure whether the people in the boat were Rohingya. However, the Navy believes that they came from Myanmar.
Earlier in 2022, the Sri Lankan Navy similarly rescued 100 Rohingya refugees. They were floating in Sri Lankan waters.
The Muslim Rohingya community has long been subjected to widespread discrimination in Myanmar. Most of them are not granted citizenship.
In 2017, a brutal crackdown by Myanmar's security forces forced millions of Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Allegations of gang-rape and genocide were raised during that operation. Currently, more than 1 million Rohingya are living as refugees in Bangladesh.
Thousands of Rohingyas are trying to cross into neighboring countries to escape the overcrowded and harsh environment in Bangladesh's refugee camps. As the number of Rohingya refugees in Indonesia has increased since November, the country has called for international aid.
