More than 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesian coast, UN says

BANDA ACHEH, Indonesia (AFP): More than 100 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, have been rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday.

Ethnic Rohingya, who are mostly Muslim, face brutal persecution in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives every year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

“We have received a report from the East Aceh government that there are a total of 116 refugees here,” UNHCR spokesman Faisal Rahman told AFP on Saturday.

“The refugees are still on the beach now, it has not yet been decided where they will be taken.”

He said the flimsy wooden boat carrying the Rohingya was found half-submerged off a beach off the coast of the northeastern island of Sumatra.

Local fisherman Saifudin Taher said the boat was first spotted in East Aceh waters on Saturday morning and nearly sank hours later.

“All the passengers survived, but one of them was sick and… immediately received medical attention,” Saifudin told AFP, adding that the boat was only 100 meters from the beach and the refugees could easily walk to safety.

The arrival of Rohingya in Indonesia tends to follow a cyclical pattern, slowing during stormy months and picking up again when sea conditions calm.

Last month, 152 Rohingya refugees were finally brought ashore after being anchored for days off the coast of South Aceh region while authorities decided whether to allow them to disembark.

Indonesia is not a party to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be forced to accept refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle Rohingya arriving on its shores.

Many Aceh residents, who themselves remember decades of bloody conflict, sympathize with the plight of their fellow Muslims.

But others say their patience has been tested, arguing that the Rohingya consume limited resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals.

In December 2023, hundreds of students forced the displacement of more than 100 Rohingya refugees by breaking into a public hall in Aceh where they were sheltering and vandalizing their property. – AFP