About 200 Rohingya stranded on a beach in western Indonesia on Sunday, disembarking overnight, at a time when the archipelago has seen a huge influx of these refugees since November.
Since mid-November more than a thousand members of this persecuted Muslim minority in Myanmar (formerly Burma) fled refugee camps in Bangladesh and reached Aceh province by seaAccording to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this is the largest migration of Rohingya to Indonesia since 2015.
The latter group, mainly made up of women and children, disembarked this morning in Pidie region, Aceh province, local authorities said.
“They stay where they disembarked. This time the government will not reimburse any costs,” Muslim, director of the Pidie Social Agency, who like many Indonesians has only one name, told news agency France-Presse (AFP).
Unlike previous arrivals, local authorities will not be responsible for providing tents to refugees or meeting other needs, he added, stressing that “there is no more room” for emergency shelter.
Every year, thousands of Rohingya risk their lives on dangerous and expensive sea journeys, often on boats in poor condition, in an attempt to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.
Bangladesh is home to about a million Rohingya, who have fled Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, mainly from camps where living conditions are dire.
On Wednesday, more than a hundred Aceh residents clashed with police during a demonstration demanding the relocation of refugees who arrived by boat on Sabang island last week.
On Friday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the government suspects a human trafficking network is behind this huge influx of refugees.
Indonesia has not signed the United Nations Refugee Convention and says it is not obliged to accept their entry into the country.
Source: DN
