According to a UNHCR official on Thursday, about fifty Rohingya Muslims have made their way into Indonesia’s North Sumatra region. These are the most recent immigrants, and the Southeast Asian nation has occasionally shown hostility against them.
Yanuar Farhanditya, senior communications assistant at UNHCR, told Reuters that the organization is working with local authorities and partners to organize help and obtain more information about the group, which looks to be composed of women and children.
While Rohingya are persecuted in Myanmar, where Buddhism is the predominant religion, migrants in Indonesia have encountered growing hostility and rejection as residents become impatient with the volume of boats entering.
According to authorities, who were cited by state news agency Antara, the most recent group arrived by boat on Wednesday in the North Sumatra region of Langkat. They were discovered by the locals and were brought to a nearby clinic for medical examinations, as well as given food and drink.
Over 140 Rohingya people landed in Deli Serdang, another part of North Sumatra, in December. Arrivals of Rohingya in Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia have surged since last year, particularly during the calmer months of November through April.
According to UNHCR figures, more than 2,300 Rohingya entered Indonesia last year—more than all of the entries during the preceding four years put together.
