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A United Nations refugee advocate on Friday joined human rights defenders in imploring South and Southeast Asian nations to rescue nearly 200 Rohingya refugees \"on the verge of perishing\" after drifting on the Andaman Sea for weeks\u2014an ordeal that's already reportedly claimed around 20 lives aboard the vessel.<\/p>
The refugees\u2014who are fleeing ethnic cleansing and other severe state repression<\/a> in their native Myanmar\u2014have been packed aboard the unseaworthy boat for as long as a month without adequate food or water, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p> \"While many in the world are preparing to enjoy a holiday season and ring in a new year, boats bearing desperate Rohingya men, women, and young children, are setting off on perilous journeys in unseaworthy vessels.\"<\/p> \"It is devastating to learn that many people have already lost their lives, including children,\" Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR's Asia and Pacific director, said on Friday, lamenting that the refugees' plight has been \"continuously ignored\" by countries in the region. <\/p> \"This shocking ordeal and tragedy must not continue,\" Ratwatte continued. \"These are human beings\u2014men, women, and children. We need to see the states in the region help save lives and not let people die.\"<\/p> Using his phone, the captain of the stranded boat told<\/a> Mohammed Rezuwan Khan, whose sister and 5-year-old niece are on the vessel, that \"we're dying here.\" <\/p> Khan told<\/a> The Washington Post <\/em>on Friday that he has lost contact with his relatives aboard the vessel and that he is \"very concerned\" for their well-being. <\/p> \"I ask the international community to not let them die,\" Khan added. \"Rohingya are human beings. Our lives matter.\" <\/p>\n