Bangladesh coast guard rescues 122 Rohingya from sinking boat
November 15, 2019, 10:45 am

Bangladesh coast guard rescues 122 Rohingya from sinking boat

Rohingya Muslims arrive on a boat from Myanmar to Bangladesh on September 14, 2017. (File photo AP)

Bangladesh coast guard rescued 122 Rohingya Muslim refugees from the Bay of Bengal on Thursday as the boat they had boarded to illegally flee to Malaysia started sinking due to a mechanical problem, a coast guard official said.

“Our patrol team rushed there after being informed by the fishermen out at sea that a boat was sinking due to engine failure,” Lieutenant Commander Saiful Islam told Reuters on Friday.

The coast guard rescued 58 women, 47 men and 17 children from the floundering boat.

“So far this year Bangladesh police and coast guard have prevented more than 500 Rohingya refugees from being trafficked to Malaysia.”

The refugees had risked the perilous voyage in order to seek a better life than the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh offer. More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh due to a crackdown by Myanmar’s military in 2017. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has denied UN accusations that the military waged its campaign against Rohingya with “genocidal intent.

The International Criminal Court said on Thursday it had approved a prosecution request to investigate crimes against humanity committed during the military campaign.

According to the United Nations refugees agency, maritime movements of Rohingya from Bangladesh and Myanmar have resumed after a two-year hiatus in 2016 and 2017. In most cases, Rohingya head to Malaysia and Thailand on rickety boats arranged by traffickers.

More than 100,000 Rohingya refugees have settled in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

source:Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”