Commentary 26/04/27 When silence drowns the Rohingya: Do their lives not matter?

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In the shadow of indifference, the Church and ASEAN are called to uphold the sanctity of every human life

Newly-arrived Rohingya refugees look on from their boat after authorities prevented the refugees from disembarking and ordered them to remain on board the vessel, at Leuge Beach in Indonesia's Aceh province, in this Jan 29, 2025 photo. (Photo: AFP)

By Joseph Masilamany

Published: April 27, 2026 02:43 AM GMT

Updated: April 27, 2026 02:44 AM GMT

When a commercial airliner carrying 250 passengers crashes, the world stops. News channels provide round-the-clock coverage. Governments issue condolences. Investigations are launched. Vigils are held, and the victims’ names are read aloud in solemn remembrance.

But when a boat carrying a similar number of Rohingya refugees capsizes in the Andaman Sea, the tragedy barely makes a ripple. It is reported briefly, mourned momentarily, and then forgotten. And the world moves on.

This moral disparity raises a troubling question: Do Rohingya lives matter less?

On April 15, Reuters reported that an overcrowded vessel carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals sank en route from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh to Malaysia.

Around 250 people were feared missing.

The boat, overcrowded with nearly 300 desperate souls, capsized in rough seas and strong winds. Survivors described a journey of unimaginable horror.

Rafiqul Islam, one of the few who lived to tell the tale, recounted how traffickers forced passengers into cramped storage compartments meant for fish and nets to evade maritime patrols.

“There was hardly any oxygen,” he said. “We could not breathe.”

At least 30 people reportedly suffocated even before the vessel capsized. When it was finally overturned, hundreds were thrown into the sea. Only a handful survived.

A crisis rooted in persecution

This tragedy was not an isolated incident but part of a recurring humanitarian catastrophe. The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have endured decades of systemic discrimination, statelessness, and violence.

Stripped of citizenship under Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law, they have long been denied basic rights, including access to education, healthcare, and freedom of movement. Their persecution reached a horrifying level in 2017 when a brutal military crackdown forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee.

The United Nations described it as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” and international legal proceedings continue to examine allegations of genocide.

Today, Bangladesh hosts around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in sprawling camps in Cox’s Bazar — the largest refugee settlement in the world. Though they offer sanctuary from violence, these camps provide little hope for the future. Generations are growing up stateless, deprived of opportunity, and trapped in a cycle of poverty and uncertainty.

Faced with such bleak prospects, many risk everything in search of dignity and survival. For them, the sea is not merely a passage; it is a desperate gamble between life and death.

Desperation driven by declining aid

The worsening humanitarian situation has intensified the crisis. Funding shortages have forced aid agencies to reduce food assistance and essential services. In some cases, food rations have fallen to as little as US$7 per person per month — barely enough to sustain life.

A recent survey by the International Rescue Committee found that only 2 percent of Rohingya parents feel hopeful about their children’s future, compared with 84 percent among host communities.  Nearly 69 percent of refugee households report children dropping out of school, while half say their children have been forced into labor.

These grim statistics paint a picture of despair that drives families into the hands of human traffickers. Promised jobs and a better life in Malaysia or elsewhere, they board unseaworthy vessels, fully aware of the risks.

When hope disappears on land, people turn to the sea.

A pattern of forgotten tragedies

The Andaman Sea has witnessed such tragedies for years. During the 2015 Southeast Asian migrant crisis, thousands of Rohingya were abandoned by traffickers and left to drift in overcrowded boats. Many perished from hunger, dehydration, and disease. While the world expressed outrage at the time, meaningful and lasting solutions remain elusive.

Since then, similar incidents have occurred repeatedly. Each capsized boat tells the same story: desperation, exploitation, and indifference. The headlines change, but the suffering remains.

The Rohingya are among the most persecuted and forgotten people on earth — stateless, voiceless, and too often invisible.

The deafening silence of the world

The contrast in global attention is stark. Aviation disasters spark international solidarity, yet maritime tragedies involving refugees often fade into obscurity. This disparity reflects an uncomfortable truth: the value placed on human life is too often influenced by nationality, economic status, and geopolitical interests.

Such selective compassion diminishes our shared humanity.

Every Rohingya life lost at sea is as precious as any lost in a plane crash. Each victim is a son, a daughter, a parent, or a child with dreams and aspirations. Their anonymity in death is a tragedy compounded by indifference.

If the world mourns one disaster while ignoring another, it reveals not merely a failure of attention, but a failure of conscience.

ASEAN’s moral responsibility

For Southeast Asia, the Rohingya crisis is not a distant humanitarian issue but a regional challenge demanding urgent and decisive action.

Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have repeatedly faced waves of desperate refugees arriving on their shores, while human trafficking syndicates continue to exploit their vulnerability.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can no longer afford to remain paralysed by its long-cherished principle of non-interference. While sovereignty remains a cornerstone of diplomacy, it must not become a shield for injustice or an excuse for inaction in the face of immense human suffering.

ASEAN must rise to the occasion by exerting sustained diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to end the persecution of the Rohingya and ensure accountability for the atrocities committed against them. It must also support international efforts to create conditions that allow for the safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of displaced communities.

At the same time, regional governments must strengthen cooperation to combat human trafficking networks that profit from desperation, while providing humane and coordinated protection for refugees who risk everything in search of safety. Beyond emergency responses, ASEAN must advocate for long-term humanitarian and development solutions that restore dignity, stability, and hope to both refugees and host communities.

The credibility of the regional bloc — and its commitment to human rights — hangs in the balance. Justice delayed is justice denied. Silence, in this case, is complicity.

A call rooted in faith and humanity

For the Catholic Church and faith communities across Asia, the plight of the Rohingya is a moral imperative. Catholic Social Teaching affirms the inherent dignity of every human person and calls for solidarity with the poor, the displaced, and the marginalised.

Pope Francis repeatedly urged the international community not to forget the Rohingya, reminding the world that compassion must transcend borders.

Asia, a region rich in religious and cultural diversity, must rise to this humanitarian challenge. Whether inspired by Christian charity, Islamic compassion, Buddhist mercy, or universal human values, the call to protect life is shared across all traditions.

The Rohingya do not seek charity alone; they seek justice, dignity, and recognition as human beings.

Do their lives not matter?

When a plane crashes, the world demands answers. When a refugee boat sinks, the world too often looks away. Yet the loss is no less devastating, the grief no less profound.

Each life lost in the Andaman Sea represents a dream extinguished — a child who will never grow up, a mother who will never return home, a father who will never provide for his family.

Their stories deserve to be told, their suffering acknowledged, and their dignity affirmed.

The international community must act decisively. ASEAN must lead with courage. Myanmar must be held accountable. Humanitarian support must be sustained. Above all, the world must refuse to normalise these tragedies.

History will judge not only the perpetrators of injustice but also those who remained silent.

As another Rohingya boat disappears beneath the waves, the question echoes across the waters of the Andaman Sea and into the conscience of humanity: Do their lives not matter?

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.