More than 150 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesia: UN
More than 150 Rohingyarefugees including women and children have been rescued off the coast ofIndonesia after their boat languished at sea for days, the United Nationsrefugee agency said Friday.
The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar andthousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys toreach Malaysia or Indonesia.
The boat carrying 152 people was anchored a mile (1.6 kilometres) off thecoast of South Aceh district for days while officials decided whether to letthem land, but they were finally brought ashore on Thursday afternoon.
"UNHCR would like to thank the authorities and local communities for thehumanitarian spirit and life-saving efforts as well as the landing permitsgiven to around 152 refugees," UNHCR's Faisal Rahman told AFP on Friday.
"Many of those on the boat were vulnerable women and children, victims ofhuman trafficking," he said, adding that UNHCR and other humanitarianagencies were now assisting the refugees.
Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia tend to follow a cyclical pattern, slowingduring the stormy months and picking back up when sea conditions calm as theyhave in recent weeks.
Another group of more than 140 Rohingya refugees landed in Indonesia's NorthSumatra province on Thursday.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannotbe compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead onneighbouring countries to share the burden and resettle Rohingya who arriveon its shores.
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