More than 150 children who travelled alone on one boat to Indonesia are now waiting to find out what will happen to them.
Refugee Untas Begum said she and her brother were among the children who travelled unaccompanied on the boat, and were threatened with being thrown overboard.
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"They only fed us a handful of rice twice a day on the boat. We couldn't move on the boat. Anyone who moved was beaten by the crews," she said.
The children said they were forced to sit all day and night with their knees bent so that they could be packed in more tightly.
To sleep, they would lean back into the chest of the person behind them.
When their legs shook from being in the same position for so long they were allegedly beaten if they moved or tried to stand.
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Burmese refugee Atau Rahman described the horrific conditions:
"I don't know what happened. We were put on the boat and tied up, and gags were put in our mouths so we couldn't talk,” he said.
Theirs was the first boat to wash ashore in Indonesia two weeks ago, followed by many more - all packed with migrants.
Many had been lured by brokers touting job prospects overseas.
But after months adrift, 12-year-old Hussein said he had given hope for a future.
"I was born in Myanmar, but they don't want me. I tried to go to Thailand or Malaysia, but I can't go anywhere because they don't want me."
Despite living in the country's west for generations, most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims were denied citizenship and had their movements restricted.
Regional leaders were expected to meet this week for crisis talks.
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