Indonesia navy drives away boat carrying Rohingya-military
JAKARTA—An Indonesian navy vessel in Aceh drove away a boat carrying Rohingya from Myanmar, a military spokesperson said, as growing numbers of would-be refugees from the strife-torn country face hostility from locals.
The wooden boat was encountered in waters near Weh Island, off Sumatra, military spokesperson Nugraha Gumilar said.
The Indonesian military vessel “shadowed” the vessel, which it believed to be carrying the Rohingya, a persecuted Myanmar Muslim-minority, until it was outside Indonesian waters and “would not return.”
There are no estimates of how many Rohingya were on the boat, Nugraha said.
‘Deeply disturbing’Indonesia’s foreign ministry referred inquiries to the coordinating ministry for political, legal, and security affairs, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over 1,500 Rohingya have landed in Indonesia since November, according to data from the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNCHR), facing increasing hostility and rejection as locals grow frustrated at the numbers of boats arriving.
On Wednesday, a large crowd of Indonesian students stormed a convention center housing hundreds of Rohingya in the Aceh capital, calling for their deportation.
The UNHCR said it was “deeply disturbed to see a mob attack on a site sheltering vulnerable refugee families.” —REUTERS
