Indonesia: Dozens of Rohingya refugees arrive on shore
December 25, 2022
Dozens of Rohingya refugees arrived on the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province early on Sunday morning, officials said.
The group of 58 men reached land on Indrapatra beach in Ladong, a fishing village, local police chief Rolly Yuiza Away said.
Villagers who saw the group of Rohingya on a rickety wooden boat assisted them in coming to shore before informing the authorities of their arrival, the police official added.
The Rohingya coming ashore in Indonesia came after demands from humanitarian organizations, pleading for them to be allowed to disembark after being adrift at sea for a month.
On Friday, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) called on regional governments to rescue at least 190 Rohingya people set adrift between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
According to the UNHCR, the refugees were stuck aboard an unseaworthy vessel with very little food and water. Up to 20 people had died during the journey, the UN humanitarian body added.
"It is devastating to learn that many people have already lost their lives, including children. Sadly, this makes it one of the deadliest years in the seas in the region," Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR's Director for Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.
Members of the Rohingya minority have been fleeing persecution in their home state of Rakhine in Myanmar and desperate conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
jsi/ar (AP, dpa)