Latest News

6 dead as boat bring almost 100 Rohingya arrives in Indonesia

6 people have passed away as nearly 100 Rohingya landed by boat in Indonesia's Aceh province, a regional fishing neighborhood stated on Thursday, in the most recent wave of arrivals to the Southeast Asian country in recent days.

Miftach Tjut Adek, chief of the community, informed Reuters that the 96 arrivals, including 7 children, were still at the regional beach in the eastern part of Aceh on Sumatra island.

There is no option yet, they are still at the beach, said Miftach.

About 300 Rohingya came ashore last week in Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces. The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR has contacted Indonesia's federal government to guarantee their security.

UNHCR officials did not immediately react to a request for comment on Thursday.

In Between October and April, when the seas are calmer, many Rohingya Muslims leave Myanmar on weak boats for Thailand, Muslim-majority Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

The Rohingya leave Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are regarded as foreign trespassers from South Asia and are rejected citizenship and subjected to abuse.

Over 2,000 Rohingya showed up in Indonesia last year, UNHCR data showed, more than the combined overall of arrivals in the previous 4 years. Some of them faced rejection in Indonesia as residents grew frustrated by the deluge of arrivals.

(source: Reuters)