100 Rohingya Refugees Rescued from Waters off Indonesia

More than 100 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, were rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday. The Rohingya, mostly Muslim, face persecution in Myanmar (Burma) and risk their lives every year to undertake dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

Feisal Rahman from UNHCR told AFP: “We received a report from the East Aceh government that there were 116 refugees in total.” He added, “The refugees are still on the shore, and no decision has been made on where they will be transferred.”

A local fisherman, Safiuddin Tahir, said the boat was first spotted entering East Aceh waters on Saturday morning, and sank after several hours. “All passengers survived, but one was ill and was treated immediately,” he explained, noting the boat was just 100 meters from the shore, and the refugees could easily walk off the boat.

The pace of Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia slows during months of storms but accelerates again when the sea calms. Indonesia has not signed the UN Refugee Convention and insists it cannot be forced to host refugees from Myanmar. It urges neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle the Rohingya arriving on its shores.

Many people in Aceh sympathize with the Rohingya due to their own experience of decades of bloody conflict. However, some have expressed frustration, accusing the Rohingya of depleting already scarce resources and causing disputes with the local population.

In December 2023, hundreds of students insisted on relocating more than a hundred Rohingya refugees by storming a shelter in Aceh where the refugees were staying, damaging their belongings.