Cases Against Rohingya Escapees Dropped by Pathein Court

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy — Cases against scores of Rohingya escapees have been dropped by the court in Pathein township of Irrawaddy Region on Wednesday ahead of growing fear of COVID-19 outbreak.

There were two cases against two groups of human trafficking victims comprising 128 Rohingya men, women and children, who were detained and charged with illegal movement while trying to escape from restive Rakhine.

There are 97 adults with mostly women and 31 children totalling 128. The authorities didn’t disclose their plan where those people will be sent in Rakhine.

In Irrawaddy alone, there were 148 Rohingya survivors detained in three different cases during 2019, and as of March 2020, other 40 were detained en route to likely Malaysia.

Recently Malaysian authorities hold 202 Rohingya from boat off Langkawi, Malaysia.