<p>Southeast Asian governments must immediately launch search and rescue operations for likely hundreds of Rohingya languishing at sea, amid mounting reports of vessels attempting dangerous trips in search of safety, said Amnesty International on Saturday (18 April).</p>

<p>As the Thai economy is heavily impacted by government attempts to control the COVID-19 outbreak, experts believe that the situation for migrant workers may contribute to the epidemic. Proper policies and employment support are needed to set things right.</p>

<p>Amnesty International issued a statement in respond to the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering&nbsp;Myanmar to take &ldquo;provisional measures&rdquo; to prevent genocidal acts against the Rohingya community.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amnesty International reacts to the Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s statement at the International Court of Justice and call for the international community to not let the case distract them from the ongoing Rohingya crisis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Political cartoon by Stephff in response to the unsuccessful Rohingya repatriation.</p>

<div>JAKARTA, 11 April 2018 — The arrival in Malaysia and Indonesia of boats carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar is a worrying potential signal of further regional repercussions of ongoing persecution in Rakhine State, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) warned today. In light of the latest developments, the collective of regional lawmakers reiterated its call for ASEAN leaders to urgently address the root causes of the crisis, which have already driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar.</div> <div> </div> <div>“These boats are a warning sign. </div>

<p>Myanmar’s internet exploded with hate speech, fake news photos, and racist narratives after the Myanmar military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/muslim-militants-stage-major-attack-rakhine.html">clashed</a>&nbsp;with Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on August 25, 2017, near the Bangladesh border in the northwestern part of the country.</p> <p><img alt="" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4399/37174852951_2925594a83_b.jpg" /></p>

<div> <div>A local businessman faces 15 years in prison for trafficking nearly a hundred Rohingya migrants in 2015, two of whom suffocated to death during their journey.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 12 September 2017, the Appeal Court confirmed the Court of First Instance’s decision to <a href="http://www.benarnews.org/thai/news/TH-trafficking-rohingya-09122017132511.html">jail Sunan Saengthong</a>, a local businessman in Phang Nga, for 15 years and to fine him 660,000 baht. </div></div>

<p>The Myanmar authorities’ restrictions on international aid in Rakhine state is putting tens of thousands of lives at risk in a region where mainly Rohingya people are already suffering horrific abuses from a disproportionate military campaign, Amnesty International said today.</p> <p>Aid workers told Amnesty International of an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Rakhine state, where the military has been engaged in a large-scale operation since attacks on dozens of security posts on 25 August, claimed by the armed group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.</p>