JINHA

NEWS CENTER – After Rohingya refugees have been turned away from Malaysia's border gates, human rights groups fear a crisis as around 6,000 refugees are thought to be stranded in the open water of the Malacca Straits, between Malaysia and Indonesia.

The 1.3 million Rohingya people native to the northern part of Burma are denied citizenship rights by the Burmese state. In the face of escalating massacres and genocide attempts over the past few years, the Rohingya have been searching for ways to flee the country. Now that Asian countries have tightened security on overland routes, Rohingya have been taking to dangerous and crowded refugee boats.

According to the Guardian, after thousands of Rohingya refugees managed to swim ashore to Malaysia and Indonesia over the last few days, the Malaysian government has started turning away refugee boats. Food and water limited on the boats and smugglers may abandon the refugees due to fears of capture.

Approximately 6,000 Rohingya are now facing death in the open waters of the Malacca Strait on an unknown number of boats. Chris Lewa, of the Rohingya rights group Arakan, has warned that a crisis is imminent.

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