Pictures courtesy of Khaosod 

 

Many migrants are missing and at least seven have been confirmed dead, by Malaysian authorities, after a boat carrying people from Myanmar capsized near the Malaysia-Thailand border. The vessel, which left the Myanmar coastal town of Buthidaung carrying about 300 passengers, sank near the southern Thai island of Ko Tarutao. Malaysian and Thai authorities have mounted a large-scale search and rescue operation after bodies and survivors were found drifting towards Malaysia’s Langkawi island.

 

Officials said ten people were rescued on 8 November, including three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men and one Bangladeshi man, while the body of a Rohingya woman was recovered from the sea. Another six bodies were found on 9 November, alongside three additional survivors.Thai authorities are trying to confirm that the 4 bodies found in the sea off Satun, are from the same incident.

 

Authorities believe the passengers had been divided into three smaller boats as they neared Malaysia to avoid detection and one of these vessels is thought to have sunk. The fate of the other two boats remains unknown.

 

First Admiral Romli Mustafa of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said the preliminary investigation showed the migrants departed from Rakhine State, a region from which thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled persecution in recent years. He warned that human smuggling syndicates are increasingly exploiting vulnerable migrants through dangerous sea routes.

 

The Kedah state police chief, Adzli Abu Shah, confirmed that some of those rescued were Rohingya Muslims. Maritime authorities have expanded search operations, which will continue  as they attempt to locate more survivors in the Andaman Sea. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged regional governments to intensify rescue efforts and address the root causes forcing Rohingya people to undertake perilous maritime journeys.

 

UNHCR spokesperson Diogo Alcantara reported that around 5,200 Rohingya refugees have attempted similar crossings so far in 2025, with nearly 600 missing or confirmed dead. Many of the migrants are believed to have paid over US$3,000 for the voyage in hopes of reaching Malaysia. Officials said the timing and exact location of the sinking remain unclear, and investigations are ongoing.

 

Picture courtesy of BBC

 

Key Takeaways

 

• At least seven Myanmar migrants have died and dozens are missing after a boat sank near the Thai-Malaysia border.

• Survivors confirmed the vessel left Myanmar’s Rakhine State carrying about 300 passengers divided into three smaller boats.

• UNHCR has called for stronger regional cooperation to prevent further maritime tragedies involving Rohingya refugees.

 

Related Story

 

Four-bodies-found-in-sea-off-Satun

 

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Khaosod  2025-11-10

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE
Eleven Dead After Rohingya Boat Sinks Near Thai-Malaysia Border

 

Picture courtesy of Reuters

 

Eleven people have been confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community capsized near the Thailand–Malaysia border, authorities said on November 10. Around 70 people are believed to have been on board the vessel, which sank near the southern Thai island of Ko Tarutao. Malaysian and Thai authorities have recovered 11 bodies so far, including two children.

 

Malaysian officials said another boat carrying around 230 passengers remained unaccounted for. Thirteen survivors, mostly Rohingya, have been rescued, and search operations are continuing in the waters off Langkawi. Air assets from both countries have been deployed to support the maritime search.

 

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, have long faced persecution and displacement. Following a brutal military crackdown in 2017, around 1.3 million Rohingya fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh. Increasingly harsh conditions in these camps, coupled with ongoing violence in Myanmar, have driven many to risk dangerous sea crossings to Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

At a press conference on Langkawi island, Malaysia’s maritime agency confirmed close coordination with Thai authorities. “We have got very good relations with the Thai agency so we have got good communication and exchanges of information,” said Mr Romli Mustafa, director of the maritime agency in Malaysia’s Kedah and Perlis. He noted that the search operation could last up to seven days, depending on weather and sea conditions.

 

Mr Romli added that the boat had reportedly departed from Myanmar, near the Bangladesh border, about two weeks ago. Some passengers were believed to have transferred to another vessel on November 6. Of the 13 survivors found so far, 11 are Rohingya and two are from Bangladesh.

 

According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 5,100 Rohingya have attempted sea crossings from Myanmar and Bangladesh between January and early November 2025. Nearly 600 people are reported dead or missing during that period. A Thai maritime official told Reuters that the four victims found on the Thai side included two children aged 12 and over 10, and two adults. “Two of the women were found carrying refugee cards identifying them as Rohingya,” the official said.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Eleven people have died and dozens are missing after a Rohingya migrant boat sank near the Thai–Malaysia border.

• Thirteen survivors have been rescued as joint Thai–Malaysian search operations continue by air and sea.

• Another vessel carrying 230 people remains unaccounted for, amid growing concerns over dangerous Rohingya sea journeys.

 

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Straitstimes 2025-11-10

 

 

 

 

UPDATE
Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Thailand-Malaysia, 21 Confirmed Dead

 

 

So sad how many of these people have to use these methods to seek a better life.