Boat carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees sighted off Indonesia

BANDA ACEH – A boat loaded with more than 100 Rohingya refugees was spotted off Indonesia’s westernmost province, with at least one dead body seen on board, local officials said on Oct 19.

The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The Rohingya boat is anchored about 5km to 6km off the coast of South Aceh district with its engine turned off, said community leader Muhammad Jabal.

He said the boat was first seen on Oct 18 when he and others set off to deliver food and water to the refugees, estimating more than a hundred were on board.

“I saw with my own eyes there was a body. There were many children too aboard the boat,” Mr Jabal said.

The day before the sighting of the boat, the body of a Rohingya woman was found at sea.

Local police chief Sabda Man Sobri said she was a member of the ethnic group, but could not say whether she was from the boat.

Mr Yuhelmi, a South Aceh district spokesman, confirmed the boat sighting but said locals were waiting for an immigration team from provincial capital Banda Aceh to arrive before deciding on the next step for the refugees.

“Whether the refugees will be brought on land, that’s within the authority of the immigration. For now, there has been no decision,” said Mr Yuhelmi, who goes by one name.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR said it had been informed by the local authorities about the vessel and hoped the refugees would be rescued immediately.

Many Acehnese are sympathetic to the plight of the Rohingya but some locals have opposed their arrivals, accusing members of anti-social behaviour.

In December 2023, hundreds of students forced the relocation of more than a hundred Rohingya refugees, storming a function hall in Aceh where they were sheltering and kicking their belongings. AFP