Myanmar Navy Captures More Than Five Hundred Rohingya Attempting to Reach Malaysia

by Hafizur Rahman

Sittwe, Rakhine State | November 27, 2025

Myanmar Navy forces have detained more than five hundred and thirteen Rohingya, including many women and children, who were attempting to travel by boat to Malaysia. The interception took place near Pauktaw Township in Rakhine State on November 20, and the group is now being held at several locations in Sittwe.

Local sources said the navy halted the boat and transported all passengers to Sittwe, where they were separated into different facilities. Around seventy people are being held at the city police station. More than two hundred people, including women and children, are at Police Station Number Thirty Six inside the Sittwe University compound. The remaining two hundred and fifty people are detained inside Sittwe prison.

Authorities confirmed that sixty five children have been released. The group includes forty five boys and twenty girls. Most of the children are from Buthidaung and Maungtaw townships, and six previously lived in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The children said they were travelling with relatives in the hope of reaching Malaysia safely.

A second boat carrying around four hundred Rohingya was also intercepted by the navy on November 26. Those detained on the second boat are still being held.

According to people with knowledge of the incident, the detainees left their homes on November 7. They stayed for seven days in Shamilah village in Rathedaung Township before reaching Ponnangyun Township, where they boarded the boat. Children who spoke with locals said the navy fired warning shots before capturing them.

Family members in Rakhine and in the camps across the border said they are deeply worried about the detainees, particularly the children. One person who had contact with the group said many children were crying as the navy approached and people felt they had no chance to escape.

The incident illustrates the extreme risks Rohingya continue to face while attempting to seek safety abroad amid ongoing insecurity in their home areas.