More than 20 survivors were detained byauthorities in Myanmar"s Ayeyarwady region, the US-funded Radio Free Asiareported, citing residents in the coastal district of Shwe Taung Yan.
According to survivors, the boat, which wasbound for Malaysia, ran into trouble within a couple of days after setting outfrom Sittwe in Myanmar"s Rakhine State on May 19, the Ayeyarwaddy Timesreported. So far, at least 14 bodies had been recovered, but more than 50people were still missing, Radio Free Asia said.
There are only around 600,000 Rohingya Muslimsleft in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country with a long history ofmilitary rule. Rohingya have been rendered as stateless by Myanmar, and as aresult of past ethnic violence and persecution the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 148,000 of them are displaced,with many living in camps.
A spokesman for the military government didnot respond to a request for comment on the latest reported tragedy involvingRohingya perishing at sea in a bid to escape persecution in Myanmar.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladeshin 2017 to escape a military-led crackdown that UN investigators have said wascarried out with "genocidal intent" and included mass killings andrapes.
Myanmar has denied widespread atrocities,framing the violence as a response to attacks by Rohingya militants.
The other main destination for Rohingyarefugees has been Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country that is seen assympathetic though they are not officially recognised there as refugees.
Some 630 Rohingya had attempted sea journeysacross the Bay of Bengal between January to May this year, UNHCR said, notingwomen and children made up 60% of the maritime crossings.
"The latest tragedy shows once again thesense of desperation being felt by Rohingya in Myanmar and in the region,"Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific, said in astatement.
