41 men believed to be Rohingya found on Malaysian beach

DHAKA, Bangladesh

At least 41 people were found stranded on a remote Malaysian beach on Monday, local media reported.

“A group of men, believed to be Rohingya, were found stranded on a beach in Simpang Empat, Perlis, on Monday [April 8] morning,” Malaysia’s The Star Online reported, citing security forces and locals.

The Perlis Border Security Agency (Aksem), local police and Kangar People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) in a joint drive detained the 41 men at the Kampung Sungai Padang beach at about 11.30 a.m. local time (0330GMT), the report added.

The detainees did not possess any travel documents or identification with them, the report quotes Perlis Aksem commander Syed Basri Bin Syed Ali as saying.

In March, 34 Rohingya refugees, including nine children, were found stranded at the Sungai Belati beach in Sungai Baru, Malaysia.

Citing government sources the report said as of January this year, there were 84,030 Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia, although unofficial estimates are considerably higher.

- A persecuted people

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience".

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

The UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings – including of infants and young children – and brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.

In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity and genocidal intent.