UN appeals to Indonesia for Rohingya boat rescue

The United Nations refugee agency has appealed to Indonesia’s government to rescue a boat languishing off its western coast packed with more than 100 Rohingya refugees including women and children.

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 boat, believed to be holding more than 100 refugees, had been anchored around four miles (six kilometers) off the coast of westernmost province Aceh but on Monday a relief boat pulled it to within one mile.

“UNHCR urgently appeals to the authorities to ensure rescue at sea and safe disembarkation for this desperate group,” said Faisal Rahman, UNHCR protection associate in Indonesia.

“UNHCR and partners stand ready to support and to provide much-needed assistance for these vulnerable people,” Rahman said in a statement late Monday.

Five Rohingya were evacuated on Thursday for medical treatment at a local Indonesian hospital, he added.

At least one refugee died while on board the ship, according to local officials in South Aceh, the nearest district.

Yuhelmi, a South Aceh district spokesperson who like many in Indonesia goes by one name, told AFP last week locals were waiting for immigration officials to arrive before any decision on their next steps was made.

Rahman said negotiations between the UN and the government were ongoing.

Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle Rohingyas who arrive on its shores.

Many Acehnese, who themselves have memories of decades of bloody conflict, are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Muslims.

But others say their patience has been tested, claiming the Rohingyas consume scarce resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals.

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.