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              Burmese Refugee Boat Capsizes Ahead of Storm, 8 Dead

   The United Nations says at least eight people died after several boats
   evacuating Rohingya Muslim refugees capsized off western Burma, as tens
   of thousands scramble to leave low-lying refugee camps ahead of an
   incoming storm.
   The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the
   accident occurred when a group of five boats carrying about 100 people
   struck rocks near Pauktaw township in Burma`s Rakhine state. It said 42
   people survived the crash. The fate of the others is unknown.
   The accident happened Monday, as the already displaced persons were
   being moved to what the U.N. office called "other Muslim host
   communities" in that part of Burma.
   Aid agencies continue to warn of a possible humanitarian disaster that
   could result from heavy flooding and mudslides late Wednesday or
   Thursday when Cyclone Mahasen hits the coast of western Burma and
   Bangladesh.
   Most at risk are the tens of thousands of people, mostly Rohingya
   Muslims, living in squalid refugee camps in flood-prone areas of
   Rakhine. They were displaced following Buddhist-Muslim violence last
   year that killed nearly 200 people.
   Human Rights Watch is one of several aid groups that has for months
   warned of the incoming rainy season. In a statement Tuesday, the New
   York-based group said Burma did not heed the repeated warnings to
   relocate the displaced persons. If the government fails to evacuate all
   those at risk, it said any disaster "will not be natural, but
   man-made."
   Phil Robertson, deputy director for Human Rights Watch`s Asia division,
   tells VOA he is not surprised that a boat full of Rohingya refugees has
   crashed, since the vessels being used to move them are too small for
   the job.
   "The question is, where is the Burma Navy? The Burma Navy has a
   significant capacity to move people in a hurry. Why aren`t they
   pitching in? Where is the mobilization of the Burma government to deal
   with this crisis at a level that is necessary?"
   The U.N. said early Tuesday that 13,000 people were relocated in the
   previous 24 hours. But Robertson says it is not enough. He has received
   reports from some vulnerable camps in Rakhine that have not even been
   contacted by the government.
   To make matters worse, there is the possibility that the Rohingya may
   face more violence if they leave the walls of the heavily guarded
   refugee camps. Robertson says authorities must ensure the refugees are
   not subject to violence at the hands of ethnic Arakanese.
   "Vulnerable Muslim populations are certainly at risk, not only from the
   cyclones, but also from the violence at the hands of the ethnic
   Arakanese communities, and in some cases from the local security
   forces, who we found were responsible for ethnic cleansing."
   A small minority in Burma, Muslims face a growing, violent campaign
   against them led by radical Buddhist monks. Some rights groups say that
   Burmese security forces have ignored or even taken part in the violence
   - a charge denied by the government.
   But for the moment, the incoming storm was the more urgent concern.
   Forecasters say Mahasen, will strengthen further by Wednesday, as it
   makes landfall near Chittagong in Bangladesh and moves into neighboring
   Burma.
   Valerie Amos, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said on her Twitter account
   she is very concerned about the cyclone, which she said could be life
   threatening for millions in Bangladesh, Burma and India.
   Burma is no stranger to devastating cyclones. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis
   devastated Burma`s Irrawaddy delta region, killing more than 130,000
   people.
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   f-storm-8-dead/1660507.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/burmese-refugee-boat-capsizes-ahead-of-storm-8-dead/1660507.html