Over 70 ethnic Rohingya refugees have arrived in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian country, after crossing the sea. A wooden boat carrying these stateless individuals reached the coast of Aceh Province.
Although local residents initially refused to allow the refugees to disembark, intervention by local authorities eventually led to their arrival onshore. This information was reported by Reuters on Thursday (January 30).
According to Reuters, more than 70 Rohingya individuals arrived on the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh Province, as confirmed by an official on Thursday. The Rohingya, a persecuted minority in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, often attempt to reach countries like Indonesia and Thailand via sea from Myanmar or Bangladesh.
Nova Surya Daru, the regional police chief, told Reuters that on Wednesday, a wooden boat carrying 40 men, 32 women, and four children arrived in the Perlak region of East Aceh. Though the boat reached the shore in the afternoon, locals initially denied the refugees entry. Eventually, at around 8 PM, they were permitted to disembark.
“They (the Rohingya refugees) deliberately damaged the boat… Therefore, we discussed the situation with local residents and explained that it was impossible for the boat to continue its journey to another destination. They were later moved to a temporary shelter,” he said.
The Rohingya, a minority ethnic group from Myanmar, are considered one of the world’s most persecuted communities. This perception became more pronounced after 2017, when Myanmar’s military launched a campaign of killings, rape, looting, and arson in Rakhine State. Facing such atrocities, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled across the border to neighboring countries, including Bangladesh.
According to the Bangladeshi government, nearly one million Rohingya have taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar.
Each year, between November and April, when the seas are calm, members of the persecuted Rohingya minority attempt to cross the waters on wooden boats to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Earlier this month, over 200 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia’s East Aceh Province. Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that over 2,000 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia in 2023—more than the combined total of the previous four years.
Although Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, the country has a history of providing shelter to arriving refugees.