Forty-two Rohingya migrants were detained in Thalang district, Phuket, early Tuesday, after being discovered in the water near Sai Kaew Beach. The group had left Bangladesh on December 16, intending to reach Malaysia but endured a harrowing journey, reads a Bangkok Post report.
Local officials and police, alerted at 4 a.m., found the migrants—19 men, 23 women, and 12 children under 15—exhausted and in frail condition. They were given food before being taken to Tha Chat Chai police station. Reports later indicated another group of migrants had been spotted near Sarasin Bridge in Phangnga province.
The migrants recounted their ordeal, explaining they were part of a group of 75 people traveling aboard a cargo vessel. Disputes led to their forced disembarkation, and they boarded small boats to reach the shore. Many suffered from illness, and some were pregnant. Tragically, some passengers had reportedly been assaulted and died during the journey.
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority facing systemic persecution in Myanmar, often flee to Bangladesh or attempt dangerous sea crossings to Malaysia or Indonesia via Thailand. Authorities are still searching for the remaining migrants from the group.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
