A group of approximately 150 Rohingya, including women and children, landed in northern Indonesia after spending several days stranded on a wooden boat in waters near the northwestern coast of the country, reported the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday.
"Many of the people traveling on the boat were vulnerable women and children, victims of human trafficking," UNHCR highlighted in a statement, thanking local authorities and communities for their humanitarian spirit in rescuing and landing these Rohingya refugees, mostly Muslim and persecuted in Myanmar.
The landing took place in Aceh province, north of the island of Sumatra, where UNHCR teams and other humanitarian partners are present to provide emergency assistance and support local authorities. Three Rohingya died during the crossing, six were taken to a hospital for health issues, and three Indonesians were arrested for alleged human trafficking.
According to the Indonesian police, the vessel departed from Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh between October 9 and 12 and reached Indonesian waters around the 16th of the same month. The Rohingya crisis has led numerous members of this ethnic minority to flee Myanmar and Bangladesh, where many live in precarious conditions in refugee camps.
For years, Rohingya have embarked on perilous journeys between November and March, taking advantage of better sea conditions in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. UNHCR recorded more than 2,300 arrivals of Rohingya refugees to Indonesia last year, raising tensions in a country that is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention.
The massive exodus of Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2017, following a brutal operation by the Myanmar Army in Rakhine State, led to numerous accusations of genocide against Myanmar and triggered a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
