Jakarta, MINA – The European Union is allocating €35,000 (some IDR 573 million) to provide critical humanitarian assistance to 99 Rohingya rescued and allowed to disembark in Indonesia after more than 120 gruelling days at sea.
The EU funding supports the Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) in delivering water, sanitary facilities, healthcare, psychosocial support, as well as crucial materials, such as sleeping mats and blankets, hygiene items and personal protective equipment, quoting from the official EU page on Wednesday.
PMI teams will also carry out hygiene promotion, focusing on coronavirus and dengue fever. In addition, the funding supports efforts to restore and maintain contact between separated family members.
The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
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Fleeing persecution in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh, the Rohingya have for years boarded boats to get to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
The coronavirus pandemic has made the situation worse as regional countries have closed their borders, leaving some boats drifting for weeks with hundreds of Rohingya aboard.
On 25 June, 99 Rohingya migrants were allowed to disembark in Indonesia after their damaged boat was identified near the coastline of Seunudon, in Indonesia’s North Aceh region.
The migrants, originally from Myanmar’s Rakhine State were transferred to a transitional shelter in the city of Lhokseumawe but preparations are underway to transfer them to an alternative facility. (R/R6/RE1)
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