"Irregular maritime movements of mixed populations that include persons of concern to UNHCR have been prevalent in the Asia- Pacific region for many years, but movements through South-East Asia, largely originating from the Bay of Bengal, have increased at a particularly rapid rate following inter-communal violence in Myanmar in June 2012. Since then, some 87,000 people are estimated to have departed by sea from the Bangladesh- Myanmar border area.
This trend has continued through the first half of 2014, during which the main route of irregular maritime movement in South-East Asia remained the journey through the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea f rom the Bangladesh- Myanmar maritime border to the Malaysia-Thailand ma ritime border. Other irregular maritime movements passing through South- East Asia followed routes through the Indian Ocean from South Asia and Indonesia to Australia, and across the Strait of Malacca from Malaysia to I ndonesia.
Although the precise number of people travelling on such routes is unknown and likely much greater than what has been reported , UNHCR is aware of over 20,000 irregular maritime departures from the Bangl adesh-Myanmar border area in the first half of 2014, in addition to hund reds who have attempted the boat journey to Australia.
Given the high proportion and total number of perso ns of concern to UNHCR departing by sea from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border , as well as a lack of access to those who travelled along other routes, t his report largely focuses on the journey between the Bangladesh-Myanmar borde r and the Malaysia- Thailand border.
Irregular maritime movements are by their nature cl andestine, making the data on such movements difficult to independently v erify. The information in this report is compiled from various sources, inclu ding direct interviews with persons of concern, implementing partners, media re ports, and governments"