Since that time, the Rohingya in Myanmar have lived in limbo. In recent years, they have faced increasing persecution and attacks, even in some cases from Buddhist monks. Those who escape out to sea, as thousands have done, face an uncertain fate; the governments of Muslim nations around Southeast Asia including Malaysia and Indonesia have refused to accept them as refugees. Some of those who turn up in Thailand have been victimized by human traffickers, or even set adrift again on the sea by Thai military forces. Australia has adamantly refused to accept any Rohingya on its shores, as well.
In May of 2015, the Philippines pledged to create camps to house 3,000 of the Rohingya boat-people. Working with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), the Philippines' government will temporarily shelter refugees and provide for their basic needs, while a more permanent solution is sought. It is a start, but with perhaps as many as 6,000 to 9,000 people adrift on the sea right now, much more needs to be done.