Over 130 Rohingya Arrive in Indonesian Aceh amid Latest Exodus
A UNHCR official stated that more than 130 Rohingya individuals arrived on the shores of the Indonesian province of Aceh on Thursday, marking the latest group of refugees to arouse controversy in the Southeast Asian nation.
Data from the UNHCR indicates that nearly 2,000 Rohingya have arrived since last October. Faisal Rahman, the protection official at the UNHCR in Indonesia, confirmed that over 130 Rohingya persons reached the eastern region of Aceh this morning.
For years, the Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar, where they face violations and are deprived of citizenship. They often travel on dilapidated boats to escape the dire conditions in Myanmar or from the overcrowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
Some of them head to Indonesia and Malaysia between November and April when the seas are calmer. However, the Rohingya have faced racist campaigns. In December 2023, a group of university students in Banda Aceh vandalized a conference center housing hundreds of Rohingya, demanding their deportation.
The UNHCR described the incident as a “mob attack” resulting from a coordinated online campaign of misleading information and hate speech. Last month, the UNHCR stated that at least 569 Rohingya died or went missing while attempting to flee Myanmar or Bangladesh in 2023, the highest number since 2014.
Approximately 4,500 Rohingya refugees fled their overcrowded camps in Bangladesh to the Aceh province in Indonesia, hoping to return to Malaysia. However, around 600 of them perished at sea, while the survivors face increasing hostility from local residents in the province.
The Muslim Rohingya minority has been subject to military repression since 2017 by the army and Buddhist militias in Myanmar, leading to the exodus of over 740,000 to Bangladesh. Myanmar is facing accusations of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice.
