HRW made the call as about 8,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are believed to be stranded in boats in the Andaman Ocean and the Malacca Strait without adequate food, water or sanitation, according to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) report.

According to HRW, more than 2,000 people landed in Langkawi, Malaysia, and in Aceh, Indonesia, on May 10 after they spent weeks at sea, saying they had not eaten in days and suffering from serious health ailments from the cramped and unsanitary conditions on board smugglers'€™ boats.

'€œThe Myanmarese government has created this crisis with their continued persecution of the Rohingya,'€ HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said Thursday.

He said Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand had made things much worse with cold-hearted policies to push back this new wave of boat people that put thousands of lives at risk.

'€œOther governments should urge the three governments to work together to rescue these desperate people and offer them humanitarian aid, help in processing claims and resettlement places for those in need of international protection.'€

HRW says Indonesian authorities had admitted to pushing back one boat on May 11 and directing it to Malaysia after providing food and water to those on board.

In Malaysia, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar publicly stated that the government would turn back boats and deport those who came ashore.

Senior Thai officials have said that the government has adopted a policy of pushing away boats from Thai shores after providing them with fuel, food and water. Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has called for a regional meeting on May 29 to address the situation. (ebf)

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