Malaysia orders sea search and rescue for migrants

Malaysia's prime minister said May 21 he has ordered the navy and the coast guard to comb the sea to look for stranded migrants, the first country to announce it will search for the refugees in desperate need of help instead of waiting for them to wash up on Southeast Asia's shores.

As the region's migrant crisis enters its fourth week, it remains unclear how many vulnerable people are adrift at sea but aid groups and the U.N. say there could be thousands and time is running out to save them.
     
In the past three weeks, more than 3,000 people - Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty - have landed in overcrowded boats on the shores of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. After initially pushing many boats back, Malaysia and Indonesia announced on May 20 that they will offer temporary shelter to all incoming migrants.
     
Although the announcement was seen as a major breakthrough, rights groups said the proposal addressed only part of the problem, and urged countries to start actively searching for those stranded at sea. The U.N. refugee agency believes there are 4,000 still at sea, although some activists put the number at 6,000.
     
Prime Minister Najib Razak addressed the concern via Twitter, saying that he had ordered the navy and coast guard "to conduct search and rescue efforts (for) Rohingya boats. We have to prevent loss of life."
     
Aid groups estimate that thousands are adrift on vessels without food and water, following a crackdown on human traffickers that prompted captains and smugglers to abandon their boats.
     
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Malaysia was scheduled to visit Myanmar on May 21 to discuss the crisis.

The ministry...