Rohingya aid ship back on course

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - 13:41

by Ikram Ismail

Location: 

PETALING JAYA

THE Kelab Putera 1Malaysia's (KP1M) humanitarian mission to help the Rohingyas is back on course.

KP1M president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim told The Malay Mail yesterday the mission had received the green light from the Myanmar government.

He was informed of this by a Foreign Affairs Ministry officer at a meeting yesterday.

The ship will dock and transfer the aid at Yangon port and they will be sent to the Rakhine region by road, which is expected to take a day.

Abdul Azeez said they originally planned to dock at Sittwe port, which is closer to where the Rohingyas are camped across the border in neighbouring Bangladesh, but it was under construction.

"We are transporting 500 tonnes of goods while Sittwe port can only accept smaller cargoes. I was told by the Malaysian embassy there that we have to get the Myanmar government's approval to use the road to Rakhine," he said.

Abdul Azeez declined to say when the ship, which was still docked at the Lumut naval base in Perak, would set sail.

"We have to wait for all the procedures to be completed," he said.

The humanitarian mission was originally slated to leave for Sittwe Port on Sept 5 and return on Sunday after sending aid to refugees living in camps in Kutupalong, and in Nayapara, near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It was reported the Bangladeshi government would only give clearance once its Myanmar counterparts gave the nod.

The aid, ferried by a crew of 38, comprises foodstuff to amenities such as medicine and wheelchairs, for 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees at the two camps, 40,000 unregistered ones in makeshift camps and 130,000 living in surrounding areas.
source-malay mail.