300 illegal immigrants still missing off Andamans

Some bodies of illegal Bangladeshi and Myanmarese immigrants were washed ashore in the Andaman islands...

Some bodies of illegal Bangladeshi and Myanmarese immigrants were washed ashore in the Andaman islands on Tuesday, even as the Indian Coast Guard and local police continue search and rescue operations for the 300 people missing in the seas off Andaman coast after they reportedly jumped from a rickety boat that had been drifting for 13 days and tried to swim to the Little Andaman island.

Speaking to The Indian Express from Port Blair, IG S P Sharma, Commander, Coast Guard (A&N Region), said so far 105 people had been rescued, and two confirmed dead. “The survivors include both Bangladesh and Myanmar nationals. As per their account, 412 of them were adrift for nearly 15 days on the high seas after leaving from Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh for Malaysia in mid-November. They were without food and potable water for nearly 12 days. Upon spotting a lighthouse on the Andaman coast, most of them dived into the sea in a bid to swim to the shore,” Sharma said.

He added the rescued immigrants were in a boat without an engine, cabin, sails or oars. “There was no way to steer the boat as the rudder and tiller were also broken. It appears to be of the type used for cargo,” said Sharma. Prima facie it seems to be a case of human trafficking. During interrogation the survivors said they had paid between 20,000 to 25,000 Bangladeshi Taka each to the touts for jobs in Malaysia’s fishing industry,” Sharma said.

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While it is not clear at what point the Myanmarese joined the Bangla nationals, initial interrogation by Andaman and Nicobar Police reveals that all of them had been intercepted earlier this month by Thai authorities, who detained them on an island around 350-400 nautical miles from Andaman for questioning, before towing them into international waters and setting them adrift, sources in the Andaman Police said.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission said they were in constant touch with the Indian Government over the issue. Kazi Mushtaq Zahid, first press secretary, said: “We are acting as liaison between Dhaka and Indian authorities in New Delhi. We are in constant touch with Port Blair and are happy with the rescue efforts. Details of the matter should be clearer after investigations are completed by the authorities of both countries.”

Andaman SP Ashok Chand said the boat had 88 people aboard when the Coast Guard took it into custody, while 11 had managed to swim ashore to Little Andaman island. “The matter came to light on Saturday, when one of the survivors was picked up by local police and detained for questioning. Since then, all survivors have been brought to Port Blair and accommodated in special camps. Twelve were admitted to the GB Pant Hospital and are said to be out of danger. All were provided food, clothing and medical attention,” Chand said.

The Coast Guard has deployed four ships, two aircraft and a helicopter for the search while an Andaman police contingent is searching for survivors on land.

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“All of them were in a state of trauma and severely dehydrated. They had no luggage, and minimal clothing. All were men, aged between 18 to 60,” said Sharma. He said this was not the first such incident in these waters. “In 2006, we had found a similar boat adrift with 70-odd Bangladeshi and Myanmarese nationals headed for South Asia. After detention and questioning, they were repatriated,” Sharma said.