Boats with over 260 Rohingya refugees arrive in Indonesia

The Rohingya refugees gather to be registered arriving on the beach of Kuala Seumilang Alue Bu in East Aceh, Indonesia. Pic/AFP

More than 260 weak and hungry Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have landed in Indonesia in two boats, officials said on Monday. Police and military officers are working with the UN refugee agency and the local government in West Pereulak in East Aceh to gather more information about the refugees, who arrived on Sunday evening, and keep them safe, East Aceh police chief Nova Suryandaru said. More than 300 Rohingya refugees have landed in East Aceh since last February.

Indonesia, like nearby Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention and is not obligated to accept them. However, the country generally provides temporary shelter to refugees in distress. On Saturday, Malaysian authorities turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 Rohingya refugees attempting to enter the country illegally.

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