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Indonesia to accommodate more Rohingya refugees at sea | Rohingya Stories

Authorities have previously said that refugees will be provided with food and water but would not land in Indonesia.

Indonesia has announced its approval a boat full of Rohingya refugees, who had disappeared along the coast, to go to the port after receiving a call from relief agencies to allow the ship to escape.

Local authorities in Aceh, a province west of the island of Sumatra, said Tuesday that it would provide food, medicine and water to 120 people, but would not allow them to flee to Southeast Asia. states to do this.

“Today, the Indonesian government decided, in the name of humanity, to rescue Rohingya refugees floating in a boat near Biereun, Aceh,” said Armed Wijaya, a staff member at the Indonesian Ministry of Defense. .

“The decision was made after considering the urgency of the refugee experience on the ship,” he said. Most of his passengers were women and children, he added.

Indonesian sailors are loading supplies onto a Rohingya refugee boat when their boat gets stuck in the waters of Bireuen, Aceh province. [Indonesian Navy/AFP]

The missing boat was in danger of sinking within a few days, two fishermen told Reuters on Wednesday.

“There were two places where the boat was wrecked. Panali [a] plenty of water, ”says Aditya Setiawan, one of the fishermen. In a video seen by Reuters, many people were seen filling the top and bottom of a long, wooden ship.

Jessica Washington of Al Jazeera, from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, said the idea of ​​allowing refugees to arrive “is not really surprising”.

“In the past, Indonesia has welcomed refugees who have reached the waters near the city of Aceh. But it should be noted that Indonesia has not registered with the UN refugee agency and it does not appear to be a permanent destination, “Washington said.

The Rohingya With a small Muslim group, more than 700,000 people have fled persecution and violence in neighboring Myanmar in August 2017.

Last year, hundreds of Rohingya who had fled persecution in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, came to Indonesia.

Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar have been living for many years went to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between November and April when the seas are calm. Many have been converted.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jakarta, Ann Maymann, told Al Jazeera that Indonesia’s decision to allow refugees to get out of a boat affected by human rights abuses and international law.

“We are very grateful to the Indonesian government … it is an election we have never seen other governments take on the issue of other boats,” he said.

“It is an example for other countries to follow, in the Asia Pacific and in other parts of the world where boats are being pushed backwards.”




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