Ordeal of sea migrants and their families left behind [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Ordeal of sea migrants and their families left behind

Local June 14, 2015

Twenty-one-year-old Mongkhain Chakma would like to be amongst the families living in and around the border town of Teknaf, who could still hope that their relatives might have survived the perilous journey to Malaysia in search of a well-paid job.
In the last few years, hundreds of young men, both Bangladeshi and Rohingya, have set out by boat for Malaysia seeking a better life, but many remain missing.
In most cases, the families have no idea what has happened to their loved ones – whether they made it to Malaysia, were arrested by the Thai or Malaysian authorities, or died on the way.
Although the UNHCR estimates that 750 died at sea during 2014, many still have hope that their loved ones remain alive.
Mongkhain Chakma, however, knows that for him and his family, there is now no hope for his two brothers Ajay Chakma, 29, and Mongthain Chakma, 24, and his uncle Tui Mong Sing Chakma who started their journey in October 2014.
The story of his family is perhaps one of the cruelest amongst the many harrowing accounts that can be heard these days in the southeastern border areas of Bangladesh.
Mongkhain lived at that time in Amtoli village, in Hoyaikkong union near Teknaf, along with the rest of his extended family, in a community of indigenous families.
On the morning of 15 October 2014, his family woke up to find Ajoy Chakma and Mongthai Chakma, and their uncle Tui Mong Sing missing.
‘We woke up one morning, and my brothers were not there,’ Mongkhain told New Age. ‘My maternal uncle also had disappeared. The family thought they might have been out to visit relatives, but we did not find them anywhere.’
After some time, Mongkhain, his mother and the rest of the family assumed that the three had gone to Malaysia to find work – and waited to hear from them.
‘I don’t know why my son Tui Mong Sing would have wanted to go to Malaysia,’ his father Mong Mia Sing told New Age. ‘He had a job here as a mechanical engineer, repairing motorbike engines. All I can think of is that he must have been influenced by some unscrupulous people. God knows why he went.’
After two months, on 19 December, Tui Mong Sing’s wife received a call from a man who identified himself as Din Mohammed saying that he was in a camp in Thailand with the three men.
‘This man told her that my uncle was very ill, that the traffickers were beating him mercilessly’, the 21-year-old said. ‘Din Mohammed then handed the phone over to Tui Mong Sing who said that the conditions were intolerable and indescribable and that the family should get them out of there. He said that for each person to be released they have to send Tk180,000.’
Mong Mia Sing, Mong Sing’s father, also spoke to his son. ‘My son was being beaten whilst he was speaking on the phone. He was crying for the money, crying for help,’ the father said. ‘He said to me, “All you have to do is send the money. I don’t know where you have to send the money, but send it”.’
In the subsequent days, Mong Mia Sing began borrowing money so that he could send it to save his son.
But, a week after the first phone call, and before Mong Mia Sing could get all the money together, another call came. ‘It was from my brother Ajoy,’ Mongkhain said. ‘And he said my maternal uncle had been beaten to death.’
Realising the urgency of getting the money together quickly to save the other two, Mongkhain’s mother then sold their ancestral home and the land around it to get the money to pay the traffickers.
They also sent one instalment of Tk 180,000 to a bank account, and were told to deliver the second instalment to a person called Minwara Begum.
‘Two weeks after we sent the first instalment, we delivered one package of money to a woman wearing a burka who met us in a restaurant,’ said Mongkhain. ‘I touched her feet and begged her to save my brothers.‘
The family was assured by Din Mohmmad that the two brothers would be freed. But this was not to be.
‘One week after giving the second instalment, we received a call on 11 January from Mong Thai that his brother, Ajoy had also died, that he was beaten to death.’
The family was, however, still hoping that Mong Thai would be released.
‘We then received another call from the camp from someone who said that Mongthain, the younger brother, was very sick and that we should send him Tk10,000 through Bikash to get him medical assistance,’ Mong Chai said.
After they sent the money, on 19 January the same person again called the family to say that Mongthain had died ‘due to illness.’
The family of Mongkhain Chakma and his immediate family now have no house, no assets and no real place to stay.
‘My mother has now gone to Bandarban to stay with her sister. I am now jobless and stay wherever I can find a shelter with friends or family.’
Mongkhain used to be a day labourer, but finds it difficult now to work. ‘It is just difficult right now to work with all the anxiety and pressure of what has happened to my family,’ he said.