Nearly 300 Rohingya stranded on Indonesia beaches
BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA—More than 300 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, were stranded on two beaches in western Indonesia on Sunday after local authorities said they would not accept the new arrivals, Agence France-Presse (AFP) witnessed.
One group of 180 refugees arrived by boat at 3 a.m. local time, on a beach in the Pidie regency of Aceh province. Another boat carrying 135 refugees landed in neighboring Aceh Besar hours later after being adrift at sea for more than a month.
The mostly Muslim Rohingya were the target of a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s military that is the subject of a UN genocide probe.Thousands risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
“They will be placed at the landing location. This time the government will not bear any expenses,” said Muslim, the head of the Pidie Social Agency in Aceh province.
Like many Indonesians, Muslim goes by one name.
He said the local government would not take responsibility for providing the refugees with tents or any other basic needs.
AFP witnessed the refugees assembled on the beach, with mothers cradling their children, some of whom were naked, in their arms.“Regarding shelter in Pidie, there is no space available anymore,” Muslim said.
Local authorities and residents have been rejecting the persecuted Rohingya, threatening to push them back to sea since more than 1,000 arrived last month.
On Wednesday, about 150 protesters in Sabang Island in Aceh clashed with police as they called for the Rohingya refugees to be relocated.
President Joko Widodo said on Friday that temporary relief would be provided for refugees “with a priority on the interests of the local community.”
He accused a human trafficking network of being behind the rising number of Rohingya refugees reaching his country by boat, vowing to take strict action against the perpetrators.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and says it is not compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar. —AFP
