This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7843950.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Rohingya migrants want to return | Rohingya migrants want to return |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Illegal migrants who made boat journeys from Bangladesh and Burma to Thailand and were rescued by Indian coastguards say they want to return home. | Illegal migrants who made boat journeys from Bangladesh and Burma to Thailand and were rescued by Indian coastguards say they want to return home. |
More than 300 of these migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslim refugees from Burma living in Bangladesh, are now housed in a jail in the eastern Andamans island. | More than 300 of these migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslim refugees from Burma living in Bangladesh, are now housed in a jail in the eastern Andamans island. |
Thailand is probing reports that troops sent Rohingya people from western Burma back to sea in boats without engines. | Thailand is probing reports that troops sent Rohingya people from western Burma back to sea in boats without engines. |
The Rohingya are stateless and say they face persecution from Burma's regime. | |
Officials at the prison in the Andamans told the BBC that the boat people from Bangladesh and Burma are pressing them to inform their families that they have survived the ordeal. | |
Hundreds were rescued off India and Indonesia but hundreds more are still missing. | Hundreds were rescued off India and Indonesia but hundreds more are still missing. |
The Thai army has officially denied forcing any of them to return. | The Thai army has officially denied forcing any of them to return. |
'Desperate' | 'Desperate' |
"They are concerned about their families because, in most cases, they are the only earning members. They want their families to know that they have survived and that they should not pay any agent any money for their release," one prison official said. | "They are concerned about their families because, in most cases, they are the only earning members. They want their families to know that they have survived and that they should not pay any agent any money for their release," one prison official said. |
Another official at the camp told the BBC the rescued migrants were desperate to speak to their wives or parents back in Bangladesh just to tell them that they were alive. | Another official at the camp told the BBC the rescued migrants were desperate to speak to their wives or parents back in Bangladesh just to tell them that they were alive. |
"But we cannot help because we don't have orders, but it would be good if some way is found to let their families know they are alive," he said. | "But we cannot help because we don't have orders, but it would be good if some way is found to let their families know they are alive," he said. |
The Andaman administration is not yet clear how soon these rescued illegal migrants will be sent back to Bangladesh and Burma. | The Andaman administration is not yet clear how soon these rescued illegal migrants will be sent back to Bangladesh and Burma. |
It is also not known whether the Indian government has been in touch with Bangladesh and Burma to send the rescued migrants back. | It is also not known whether the Indian government has been in touch with Bangladesh and Burma to send the rescued migrants back. |
But the migrants held at the prison in the Andamans are desperate to return to their families. | But the migrants held at the prison in the Andamans are desperate to return to their families. |
Some of them reached over telephone by the BBC said some international body should come forward and help in conveying information about them to their families. | Some of them reached over telephone by the BBC said some international body should come forward and help in conveying information about them to their families. |