A petition calling for the removal of Rohingya refugees from Malaysia has gained over 424,000 signatures, citing strain on resources and security concerns.
A 26-year-old Rohingya refugee survived a deadly boat disaster in the Andaman Sea this month after her overcrowded vessel with nearly 300 people aboard capsized, leaving 250 missing and feared dead. Rahila Begum was rescued by a Bangladeshi oil tanker after spending two days clinging to wooden debris. Thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camps are undertaking increasingly dangerous sea crossings to Indonesia and Malaysia as shrinking international food aid forces more to flee desperate conditions.
DHAKA: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh expressed concern on Wednesday as the cash-strapped UN World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to cut aid for large portions of the 1.2 million-strong group. Bangladesh’s vast refugee camps shelter Rohingya who fled persecution in neighboring war-torn Myanmar, with more than 150,000 new arrivals since 2024, according to the WFP. The agency is the sole provider of monthly food assistance for the community. But with global funding stretched thin and more people needing aid, resources are already under pressure.
