On November 9, 2025, it was reported that a boat sank near the Thai-Malaysian border carrying approximately 230 Rohingya people. As of today, hundreds are missing, and the media has reported that government agencies in Malaysia and Thailand have found close to 24 people. Thanks to the overwhelming rescue operations by both governments, more information is coming to light on the tragedy that has once again transpired in the waters of Asia.
The Rohingya continue to suffer cycles of violence at the hands of two perpetrators, the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army. While both entities are fighting each other for control over the Arakan state, in reality, the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army also use the fighting as a pretext to continue the genocide against the Rohingya. The Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army utilize digital resources and media to spread their propaganda of hate, fear, and loathing of the Rohingya, which has, in turn, caused dire circumstances to continue in the Arakan. Drug smuggling, human trafficking and smuggling, and other forms of forced labor are carried out by both entities, causing the Rohingya to take unnecessary risks to find safety and security wherever possible. As one Rohingya refugee commented to Reuters, “People are dying in the fighting, dying from hunger. So, some think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here.”
If criminal syndicates, the Arakan Army, and the Tatmadaw can ravage a community like this, what will it take for the international community to draw a red line?
The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) has repeatedly called for action on this issue, more recently on May 27, 2025, when another boat carrying 427 Rohingya people lost their lives at sea.
ARNO calls upon all governments to immediately put into place a robust plan for a ceasefire in the Arakan and calls upon the international community to immediately begin apprehending perpetrators of criminal syndicates and networks who are perpetrating these types of human smuggling operations, knowing that it will cost the Rohingya their lives.