Bangladeshi boy, 14, tells of horrors aboard Rohingya migrant boat

[webfact]

Bangladeshi boy, 14, kidnapped, forced onto Asian migrant boat

INDONESIA: -- Snatched by people traffickers in his native Bangladesh and forced onto a migrant boat, 14-year-old Absaruddin endured a weeks-long nightmare in which he almost starved to death, saw his relatives killed and was forced to jump overboard after being attacked.

He lived to tell the tale after he and several hundred other Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were plucked to safety on Friday from their sinking boat and the waters by Indonesian fishermen.

"I want to go back to my home, I want to go back to my mother," he said, speaking from a building where some of the migrants were being housed in the city of Langsa, on the northeast coast of Sumatra, after recounting an ordeal that lasted almost two months.

The emaciated teenager, who comes from a poor farming family, wept as he talked on a mobile phone to his mother for the first time since he left southern Bangladesh.

His mother could be heard weeping on the other end of the line.

Those rescued from his vessel were among 900 migrants saved in one day alone in the same area, the latest harrowing episode in South East Asia's migrant crisis that has been precipitated by Thailand's move to crack down on busy people-smuggling and -trafficking routes.

Huge numbers of migrants have arrived in Malaysia and Indonesia in recent days as they are abandoned, and thousands more are thought to be stranded at sea.

International pressure is building for swift action, with the United States joining calls for the region to open its ports.

Full story: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-17/bangladesh-teen-kidnapped-forced-into-asian-migrant-boat/6475556

-- ABC NEWS 2015-05-18

[Credo]

So, not all of these people are willingly leaving their country. Interesting twist.

[Robby nz]

I suppose the idea of grabbing someone like that would be to attempt to extract a ransom from his family for his return. Whether or not money was handed over there would be no way they would or could return him or others like him. Just dump them somewhere or even hope to sell them as slaves.

These despicable traffickers, or whatever you want to call them, need to be stopped at source before they get people on boats.

[Travelman868]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

[HerbalEd]

So, not all of these people are willingly leaving their country. Interesting twist.

This is hardly a twist. It's been well publicized that very poor people are being kidnapped into slavery ... as forced sex workers, on fishing boats, etc. ... or held ransom until relative pay to get them back.

[HerbalEd]

I suppose the idea of grabbing someone like that would be to attempt to extract a ransom from his family for his return. Whether or not money was handed over there would be no way they would or could return him or others like him. Just dump them somewhere or even hope to sell them as slaves.

These despicable traffickers, or whatever you want to call them, need to be stopped at source before they get people on boats.

Yeah ... "dumped" in a shallow grave. Haven't you read of the unmarked graves the Thai government has discovered in abandoned human trafficking camps?

[HerbalEd]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people

killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

Don't be an ass. The USA can be faulted for many things, but no other country has taken in as many refugees and oppressed people.

[JDGRUEN]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people

killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

ISIS announced within the last 24 hours that have planted many jihadis in the Syrian and Libyan 'refugees' and some are now in Europe ... So why not Asia... ?

[MrBrad]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people

killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

ISIS announced within the last 24 hours that have planted many jihadis in the Syrian and Libyan 'refugees' and some are now in Europe ... So why not Asia... ?

So you're going to paint them all with your wide brush? When did you lose your compassion?

[JDGRUEN]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people

killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

ISIS announced within the last 24 hours that have planted many jihadis in the Syrian and Libyan 'refugees' and some are now in Europe ... So why not Asia... ?

So you're going to paint them all with your wide brush? When did you lose your compassion?

I'm not painting anybody with any brush ... I just replied to a post... I'm not sure what your problem is - when you visit your shrink next time - ask him...

[Credo]

So, not all of these people are willingly leaving their country. Interesting twist.

This is hardly a twist. It's been well publicized that very poor people are being kidnapped into slavery ... as forced sex workers, on fishing boats, etc. ... or held ransom until relative pay to get them back.

Not quite. Most of these people have paid hefty sums to go to places like Malaysia. They are usually not kidnapped. Once they have paid they are at the mercy of traffickers and, in the case of Thailand, Thai officials. The people are taken ashore, held as captives until their family can pay a ransom for them to continue their journey to Malaysia, or wherever they are going.

This does not prevent them from being sold into slavery on fishing boats or other types of servitude, but as a general rule they wouldn't kidnap people. Make them pay and then make the family pay. This type of kidnapping obviously does happen, but it is not standard practice.

[JDGRUEN]

So, not all of these people are willingly leaving their country. Interesting twist.

This is hardly a twist. It's been well publicized that very poor people are being kidnapped into slavery ... as forced sex workers, on fishing boats, etc. ... or held ransom until relative pay to get them back.

Not quite. Most of these people have paid hefty sums to go to places like Malaysia. They are usually not kidnapped. Once they have paid they are at the mercy of traffickers and, in the case of Thailand, Thai officials. The people are taken ashore, held as captives until their family can pay a ransom for them to continue their journey to Malaysia, or wherever they are going.

This does not prevent them from being sold into slavery on fishing boats or other types of servitude, but as a general rule they wouldn't kidnap people. Make them pay and then make the family pay. This type of kidnapping obviously does happen, but it is not standard practice.

The BBC tells the story this way... most pay and are taken to far out to sea after transferring from a small boat... then either off shore or on shore of Thailand or Malaysia or even Indonesia - the traffickers demand phone numbers of many - not all and call family members and demand ransom. Not sure how they effect payment.

[fvw53]

The situation of the Rohingya's is indeed horrible.

But the fact that the boats are also filled up with desperate Bangladeshi's does not make the decision making to accept them in Malaysia or Indonesia more easy.

The desperate Rohingya's are a few hundred thousand but the desperate Bangladeshi's are several millions....

[MockingJay]

Close the gates!

[MockingJay]

If the US think everyone should open their ports, maybe they could send some of their ferries and ship the people back to the States.

It is worth noting that a percentage of these refugees MAY be Islamists. Thailand already has a few of these in the South. An average of 1.5 people killed everyday for over 10 years.

Half of the Muslim countries in the world are being emptied, their populations moving to non Muslim countries, WHY.

Spot on!

[maidee]

so, send em all back... specially moslim, they better go live in a 100% moslim country