An Indonesian search and rescue ship yesterday rescued dozens of Rohingya refugees from a capsized wooden boat off the coast of Aceh, underscoring the peril of the ocean journeys from Bangladesh. According to a report from The Associated Press, which had a photographer aboard the Indonesian vessel, 59 people were saved by the search and … Read more
On December 27, just as the year was drawing to a close, a crowd of students broke through police barricades and barged into a temporary shelter housing Rohingya refugees in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, located at the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. Many of the refugees had landed on Aceh’s shores … Read more
In the span of a month between mid-November and mid-December of 2023, nine boats carrying 1,543 Rohingya disembarked in Aceh, Indonesia. It was the largest number of arrivals since the so-called 2015 Andaman Sea Crisis. Indonesia, and particularly local communities in the province of Aceh, was once heralded for its open and welcoming approach to … Read more
A harrowing scenario is currently playing itself out in Aceh, Indonesia, marked by political manipulation and a burgeoning humanitarian crisis. Recently arrived Rohingya refugees, a group plagued by relentless persecution and statelessness, have found themselves at the epicenter of a socio-political storm that transcends borders. The tensions reached a peak on December 27, when hundreds … Read more
Another 140 Rohingya refugees arrived in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province over the weekend, adding to a surge of arrivals that has created tensions with local communities. According to Reuters, which cited a report from the state news agency Antara, the group, consisting mostly of women and children, arrived by boat in North Sumatra’s Deli Serdang … Read more
Yesterday, BenarNews published a report detailing Indonesia’s difficulty in handling the sudden influx of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh – and of the fears that the government may choose to deport them back to Myanmar. An estimated 1,487 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Indonesia in recent weeks, according to the country’s Ministry of Political, Legal, and … Read more