The ready pipeline of refugees seeking to flee displaced persons camps continues to fuel the multi-million-dollar smuggling industry. But deterred by stories of abuse and the increasing likelihood of not being able to complete the often-deadly journey, Muslim Rohingya who previously have fled by sea in droves are no longer as willing to crowd onto the converted fishing boats and risk being stranded as smugglers desert the vessels.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still desperate to leave.
“Now, some are trying to find another way out, like by flights,” said Aamir, 24, a Rohingya living in Baw Du Pha 1 camp in Sittwe. (All names of Rakhine State IDPs have been changed to protect identitites.) “This way is safer than by boat. Even though it’s possible to be arrested on the way, that means a prison sentence, not death.”
Though his odds may be better with a flight, the cost difference is prohibitively high. A place on a smuggler’s boat costs just K50,000, he said. Many were able to drum up the sum by selling United Nations food rations. By contrast, the cost of forged documents and an air ticket, just to Yangon, is 20 times higher, at more than K1 million per person, he said. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
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