A group of over 260 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, reached Indonesia's Aceh province after a perilous sea journey. They had initially set sail from Myanmar and faced rejection in Malaysia before finally arriving in Indonesia.
More than 260 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, arrived in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh after floating at sea for days, an official said on Monday.The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
An East Aceh regency official, Iskandar — who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name — said this latest group of refugees arrived on a beach in West Peureulak town at around 10:25 p.m. on Sunday.'There are 264 of them: 117 men and 147 women,' Iskandar told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, adding that about 30 in the group were children.He said they had initially been on two boats, one of which had sunk off the coast while the second managed to move closer to shore.They could then walk to the shore when the tide was low, he added.'They told me they were rejected in Malaysia,' Iskandar said, adding that the local government had not decided where to move the refugees.Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia tend to follow a cyclical pattern, slowing during the stormy months and picking back up when sea conditions calm down.In November, more than 100 refugees were rescued after their boat sank off the coast of East Aceh.In October, 152 Rohingya refugees were finally brought ashore after being anchored for days off the coast of South Aceh regency while officials decided whether to let them land.Indonesia is not a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle the Rohingya who arrive on its shores.Many Acehnese, who have memories of decades of bloody conflict themselves, are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Muslims.But others say their patience has been tested, claiming the Rohingya consume scarce resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals
ROHINGYA REFUGEES INDONESIA MYANMAR MALAYSIA HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
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