Violence erupts as migrants fight over scraps on boat Malaysia turned away

(Malay Mail Online) – Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants fought with knives and sticks over scraps of food on the boat that Malaysia had turned back to sea, the Daily Mail reported yesterday.

The UK paper’s news website Mail Online reported 21-year-old migrant Mahmud Rafiq – one of the 800 boat people who managed to land at Acheh, Indonesia, on Friday – as saying that an Indonesian navy ship had given them food and medicine before sending them to Malaysian waters and that upon reaching there, Malaysian vessels gave them more supplies and sent them back out to the sea.

“We had very little food, and we agreed that we would leave it for the women and children,” Mahmud was quoted saying.

“Then they started hitting us. They took the food. They pushed many of us overboard. They beat us and attacked us with knives. I was hit with a wooden plank on the head and on my legs,” he added.

UK paper The Independent reported yesterday Rohingya woman Manu Abdul Salam – another of the 800 migrants who reached the Indonesian village of Langsa in Acheh – as saying that her 20-year-old brother was among the dozens killed in clashes between the two Muslim communities on the boat after their captain abandoned ship.

“They thought the captain was from our country, so they attacked us with sticks and knives. My brother is dead,” Manu was quoted telling Associated Press, as reported by The Independent.

A Bangladeshi survivor told The Independent that he and others were attracted to go abroad with promises of well-paying jobs in Malaysia, but were starved and abused by the captain who demanded money from their families once they got on the ship.

“When we asked for water, the captain hit us with wire,” he was quoted saying.

Mail Online reported that Malaysian vessels turned away yesterday another boat full of migrants after it was pushed back out to sea by Thai navy.

International newswire AFP reported that Malaysia turned away Thursday two vessels carrying about 600 migrants off Penang and Langkawi.

A recent Thai crackdown on human trafficking has caused people smugglers to abandon ship, leaving thousands of Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants stranded in the Andaman Sea.

National news agency Bernama reported Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as saying yesterday that Malaysia must not be burdened with the “problem” of Rohingya refugees as it is an issue which needs to be addressed collectively by all Asean countries.