Langkawi: A tragic maritime disaster has unfolded off the border between Thailand and Malaysia, as a boat carrying around 70 Rohingya migrants sank in the Andaman Sea, leaving at least 11 people dead and dozens missing. The ill-fated vessel, believed to be part of a larger group fleeing desperate conditions in refugee camps, capsized late last week near Malaysia’s Langkawi Island and Thailand’s Satun province, prompting a massive international search and rescue operation.
According to Malaysian maritime authorities, the boat was carrying mostly Rohingya refugees, with a few Bangladesh nationals among them. The vessel reportedly encountered rough seas, causing it to overturn and sink. Out of the estimated 70 passengers, only 13 have been rescued so far 11 Rohingya and two Bangladeshis while search teams continue to scour an area of more than 250 square nautical miles for the missing.
Rescue teams from both Malaysia and Thailand have joined forces, deploying patrol boats, helicopters, and aircraft in hopes of finding survivors. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said that search operations would continue for at least a week, though hopes are fading with every passing hour.
So far, 11 bodies have been recovered seven in Malaysian waters and four in Thailand’s Satun province. Among the Thai recoveries were two young girls identified as Rohingya through refugee documents issued in Bangladesh. Officials say the bodies were found drifting across a wide stretch of sea, suggesting that the boat broke apart before sinking completely. Survivors are being given medical attention and questioned to confirm the vessel’s route, passenger count, and departure point.
This tragedy adds to a long list of maritime disasters involving Rohingya refugees a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Decades of discrimination, military crackdowns, and statelessness have forced hundreds of thousands to flee across borders. The majority now live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where food shortages, poor sanitation, and limited educational opportunities have driven many to risk their lives at sea.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that more than 5,100 Rohingya have embarked on dangerous sea journeys in 2025 alone. Nearly 600 people have died or disappeared this year, marking one of the deadliest periods since the 2017 mass exodus from Myanmar.
Officials believe that the sunken boat was one of two vessels that set sail from Bangladesh roughly two weeks ago. The two boats reportedly separated last Thursday after engine trouble and strong waves. While one boat sank near Langkawi, the other carrying about 230 people remains unaccounted for. Authorities are now racing against time to locate it amid fears that it may also have capsized or drifted farther into open waters.
Malaysia and Thailand have long been on the frontlines of the Rohingya maritime crisis. Both nations, however, do not officially recognize the Rohingya as refugees, often detaining survivors under immigration laws. Human rights organizations have urged Southeast Asian governments to strengthen humanitarian response mechanisms and prevent pushbacks that could further endanger lives.
Experts say that the tragedy underscores the region’s failure to create a coordinated migration policy. With regional cooperation limited and humanitarian assistance dwindling, more desperate families are likely to attempt perilous crossings in the coming months.
For many Rohingya, the sea has become both a passage to hope and a graveyard of despair. Survivors of the latest tragedy recounted harrowing scenes of panic as the boat capsized families clinging to debris, children crying for help, and men trying to keep others afloat. One survivor told local media that people were “praying and screaming” as the vessel went down within minutes.
Each loss, advocates say, represents not just a life cut short but a system’s failure to provide safety and dignity. “These people are not adventurers; they are victims of persecution,” said a representative from a humanitarian group assisting the survivors.
As rescue efforts continue, Malaysia and Thailand have coordinated aerial and maritime patrols to locate the remaining passengers and any debris from the vessel. Authorities are also tracing the route back to its origin, likely from the coast near Cox’s Bazar or Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
International aid organizations have renewed their appeals for stronger intervention from ASEAN and the global community. Without lasting solutions from restoring Rohingya rights in Myanmar to improving camp conditions in Bangladesh such tragedies, they warn, will remain heartbreakingly routine.
The Rohingya tragedy off the Thai-Malaysian coast is more than just another maritime accident it is a grim reminder of a people adrift between persecution, poverty, and neglect. As nations debate policies and responsibilities, the Andaman Sea continues to claim innocent lives silent witnesses to a crisis that the world has yet to truly confront.