LHOKSEUMAWE: According to local officials, six dead bodies were discovered close to the shores of westernmost Indonesia on Thursday, while human smugglers left dozens of Rohingya refugees, including children, trapped there.
In an attempt to reach Malaysia or Indonesia, members of the persecuted minority risk their lives every year on lengthy and perilous sea voyages, frequently crammed into decrepit boats.
According to Saiful Anwar, a local official in East Aceh, the refugees were left behind before daybreak on Thursday, approximately 100 meters off a beach in Aceh Province. According to him, the group consisted of 46 women, 37 men, and seven children. Locals discovered four victims floating in the sea and two bodies on the shore.
The 96 arrivals, including seven children, were still at the local beach in the eastern portion of Aceh on Sumatra island, according to community chairman Miftach Tjut Adek. “They are still at the beach, and there isn’t a solution yet,” Miftach stated.
Human smugglers’ abandoned refugees in Aceh province, about 100 meters off a beach
Residents have reported that these individuals became trapped at approximately four in the morning. Saiful remarked, “It appears that a boat brought them.” He added that eight ill refugees were removed for medical care.
Amrullah M. Ridha, the acting district head for East Aceh, informed reporters that the refugees would be housed in tents on the beach until officials provided them with shelter. Although it was aware of the arrivals, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was unable to provide any additional details. Acting Aceh Governor Safrizal blamed the recent arrivals on “human trafficking mafia activity,” he told reporters.
With around 150 migrants coming in Aceh and another 140 in the province of North Sumatra, this is the third wave of arrivals in western Indonesia this month.
The risky 4,000-kilometer trek from Bangladesh to Malaysia is attempted by hundreds of Rohingya each year, contributing to a multi-million dollar human trafficking enterprise that frequently makes stops in Indonesia.
As a party to the UN refugee convention, Indonesia maintains that it cannot be forced to take in the migrants and instead calls on its neighbors to shoulder some of the load.
Many Acehnese sympathize with the suffering of their fellow Muslims, having experienced decades of violent war themselves, but others claim that the yearly influx has tried their patience.
Last week, over 300 Rohingya landed in the Indonesian regions of Aceh and North Sumatra. The Indonesian government has been urged to guarantee their safety by the UNHCR, the UN organization for refugees. According to an Indonesian official, the UNHCR was working with local authorities to provide help to the Rohingya.
Many Rohingya Muslims depart Myanmar on rickety boats for Thailand, Muslim-majority Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh between October and April, when the seas are calmer.
The Rohingya flee Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are mistreated and refused citizenship because they are seen as alien invaders from South Asia. According to UNHCR estimates, more than 2,000 Rohingya entered Indonesia last year, surpassing the total number of entries over the preceding four years. When residents in Indonesia became irritated by the flood of newcomers, some of them encountered rejection.
