UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has said nearly 400 Rohingyas who arrived by boat recently are mostly registered with the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district. "We’re still completing individual interviews with all of the newly arrived refugees. So far, no refugee claims to have boarded from Myanmar," Louise Donovan, a Spokesperson at Cox's Bazar office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told UNB. At the end of the 14 days quarantine period, they will return to their families and their shelters within the camps, said the official at the UNHCR mentioning that the vast majority are already registered in Cox’s Bazar camps. On April 16, members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 396 Rohingya people from a boat which was denied entry by Malaysia. The Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR worked together to facilitate the safe disembarkation of the 400 Rohingyas who arrived by boat. Under government directives, they are in quarantine to confirm they are free of COVID-19. These Rohingyas passed through a horrifying ten-week ordeal, where they faced starvation, dehydration and physical abuse, according to the UNHCR. "Many died and were tossed overboard. With support from the government, UNHCR and our partners, they’re now recovering," said the UNHCR Spokesperson.

The government of Malaysia should urgently coordinate regional governments to deploy search and rescue missions for boats of Rohingya refugees adrift at sea and ensure their safe disembarkation, said Fortify Rights on Friday.