2-12-2023 (JAKARTA) A group of approximately 170 ethnic Rohingya individuals arrived in Indonesia on Saturday, according to the head of a fishing community in the province. This recent influx of boat arrivals adds to the growing number of Rohingya refugees who have sought asylum in the country, with over 1,000 having arrived in recent weeks from Myanmar’s Muslim minority.
During the period between November and April each year, when the seas are relatively calm, members of the persecuted Rohingya community embark on perilous journeys aboard wooden boats in search of safety. Their destinations often include neighboring Thailand, Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Miftah Cut Ade, the chief of the fishing community in Aceh, located on the westernmost tip of Indonesia, informed Reuters that the latest group of Rohingya individuals landed on Le Meulee beach on the island of Sabang before dawn on Saturday. He expressed concern for their well-being, stating that the majority of the arrivals were women and children who appeared to be in a weakened state.
Indonesia, though not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees, has a longstanding tradition of providing refuge to displaced individuals who arrive on its shores. Despite its non-binding status, the country has consistently demonstrated a willingness to offer shelter and support to those in need.
The Rohingya people have long faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are often viewed as foreign intruders from South Asia. Denied citizenship and subjected to various forms of abuse, the Rohingya community has been forced to flee their homeland. Today, nearly one million Rohingya reside in refugee camps located in Cox’s Bazar, a border district in Bangladesh. Most of them escaped a violent military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017, seeking safety and sanctuary elsewhere.
