In a tragic arrival, nearly 100 Rohingya refugees, including seven children, reached Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday after a perilous journey from Myanmar. Six refugees did not survive, their bodies recovered onshore and in the sea upon arrival on Sumatra’s eastern coast.
The boat carried a total of 96 people, stranded on a beach with limited shelter, according to Miftach Tjut Adek, head of a local fishing community. East Aceh’s acting district head, Amrullah M Ridha, confirmed that temporary tents have been set up for the group until a longer-term solution is found. Eight people who were unwell were rushed for medical treatment, authorities reported.
This marks the latest arrival in a surge of Rohingya seeking refuge in Indonesia and Malaysia, as they flee persecution in Myanmar. Last week, nearly 300 Rohingya refugees landed on the shores of Aceh and North Sumatra, prompting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to urge Indonesia to support the safety and well-being of the refugees. Local authorities suspect human traffickers left the group approximately 100 meters offshore early Thursday morning, according to Saiful Anwar, a village official. The group included 46 women, 37 men, and seven children, likely abandoned by traffickers amid ongoing “human trafficking mafia activity,” he added.
Between January 2023 and March 2024, over 2,500 Rohingya refugees arrived in Aceh, approaching the total count from the previous eight years. However, Indonesia, not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, faces challenges in sustaining refugee support. While the Acehnese community, with its own history of conflict, has extended sympathy to the Rohingya, the rising influx is testing the patience and resources of local residents.
The crisis highlights a pressing need for regional cooperation to address the plight of the Rohingya, a largely Muslim ethnic group facing ongoing persecution and violence in Myanmar.
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