Over 200 individuals from the Rohingya ethnic group landed in Indonesia’s Aceh province late on Tuesday, marking the total arrivals of Myanmar’s Muslim minority members at more than 1,000 for the week, according to a leader within the province’s fishing community.
During the November to April period, known for calmer seas, numerous members of the persecuted minority embark on precarious boats from Myanmar heading towards Thailand, Bangladesh (a predominantly Muslim country), Malaysia, and Indonesia. Miftach Cut Adek, the chief of Aceh’s fishing community, mentioned that the most recent arrivals, comprising 216 individuals, predominantly women and children, were in a weakened state and suffered from malnutrition.
They arrived near Sabang, situated off the northern edge of Sumatra island, late on Tuesday. Mitra Salima Suryono, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency in Indonesia, noted that there didn’t seem to be a specific cause for the surge in Rohingya arrivals.
“The motivation behind their migration is to seek a safer life,” she stated. Mitra highlighted that Aceh residents had attempted to deter hundreds of Rohingya from reaching the Bireuen area in northeast Sumatra the previous week, although they eventually disembarked on Sunday.
For an extended period, Rohingya individuals have departed Myanmar, where they face discrimination as foreign intruders from South Asia, deprived of citizenship and subjected to mistreatment in the predominantly Buddhist nation.
Nearly one million Rohingya reside in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, a Bangladeshi border district, with most having fled Myanmar following a military-led crackdown in 2017. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has clarified that it lacks the obligation or capability to host refugees, let alone offer a lasting solution.
Usman Hamid, director of the Amnesty International Indonesia, urged authorities to welcome Rohingya individuals and engage in discussions with neighboring countries, particularly Malaysia and Thailand, where Rohingya frequently seek shelter.