SONGKLA, 12 February 2014 Religious leaders in Songkla have conducted burial rites for 5 Rohingya immigrants who died during their detention in the province.
According to the Sheikhul Islam Office, the five men aged between 16-40 died while receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. All of them had either pre-existing medical conditions or sustained injuries during their travel to the detention center in Songkla.
The office said the five men are among the 500 immigrants rescued from human-trafficking gangs at a camp last year. They have been awaiting relocation to a third country since.
A number of Rohingyas have reportedly been ill in the detention center and their conditions are decidedly deteriorating.
The plight of the Rohingya illustrates the limits to Myanmar’s wave of democratic reforms since military rule ended in March 2011. Many stateless Rohingyas face forms of persecution, discrimination and exploitation in Myanmar.
