1-2-2024 (JAKARTA) More than 130 Rohingya refugees arrived on the shores of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday, according to an official from the United Nations refugee agency. This marks the latest in a series of arrivals that have sparked controversy in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Rohingya, a persecuted religious minority from Myanmar, have faced rejection and hostility from locals in Aceh upon their arrival. Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that nearly 2,000 Rohingya have arrived in Aceh since October of last year.
Faisal Rahman, a protection associate at UNHCR in Indonesia, reported that over 130 Rohingya individuals arrived in the East Aceh area on Thursday morning.
For years, Rohingya people have been fleeing Myanmar, where they are considered foreign interlopers from South Asia, denied citizenship, and subjected to mistreatment. They often undertake perilous journeys on rickety boats to escape dire conditions in Myanmar or overcrowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Many choose to travel to Indonesia and Malaysia between November and April when the seas are relatively calm.
However, in Indonesia, they continue to face hostility. In December of last year, a group of university students in Banda Aceh stormed a convention center housing hundreds of Rohingya refugees, demanding their deportation. The incident, labeled a “mob attack” by UNHCR, was a result of a coordinated online campaign of misinformation and hate speech.
Last month, UNHCR reported that at least 569 Rohingya refugees had died or gone missing while attempting to flee Myanmar or Bangladesh in 2023, marking the highest toll since 2014.
