Rashid arrived in Langkawi in Malaysia after weeks at sea in a fishing boat crammed with Myanmar’s unwanted: Rohingya Muslims driven out by soldiers and ethnic Buddhist militias who had razed their villages.
A decade on, the now 14-year-old has witnessed countless boats arrive on the island over the years, as his stateless community continues to flee persecution.
“We did not choose Malaysia because we thought it was a good or nice country,” he told This Week in Asia, requesting to give only his first name as he feared deportation.
“The only reason was that my father was already there, and my mother decided to follow him so we could survive.”
The pattern of flight is familiar for the Rohingya.
At least 28 Rohingya – including nine women and five children – died when a boat capsized near Langkawi in November, a grim reminder of the dangers faced by one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.
