Indonesia Helps Repair Rohingya Refugees’ Boat in Aceh

Aceh, MINA – Indonesian authorities helped repair a boat of Rohingya refugees that stranded off the coast of Bireuen, Aceh on Sunday but would not allow its passengers to seek asylum and would be asked to leave.

“Rohingya are not Indonesian citizens, we cannot just take them in as refugees. This is in line with government policy,” said Dian Suryansyah, a local navy official as quoted from Voice of America on Wednesday.

Dian added that the authorities would provide humanitarian assistance, including food, medicine and water, before the boat carrying 120 Rohingya refugees was asked to leave.

Indonesia has not ratified the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and is generally considered a transit country for those seeking asylum to third countries.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement on Tuesday that the boat had suffered an engine failure and should be allowed to land.

Badruddin Yunus, a local fishing community leader, said the refugees had been at sea for 28 days and some fell ill and one of them died.

Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar have sailed for years to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between November and April when the seas are calm. Many of them were turned down, despite calls from international human rights organizations for their assistance.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in August 2017 after a crackdown by the country’s military, which refugees say includes mass killings and rape. Human rights organizations have documented the killing of civilians and the burning of Rohingya villages.

Hundreds of Rohingya have reached Indonesia in recent years, after months of tossing at sea. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)