Indonesia Highlights: 81 Rohingya Refugees Stranded in Indonesia's Aceh Province | Jakarta’s Deputy Governor Takes Cautious Approach to Face-to-Face Classes | Surveillance Cameras Catch Sight of Mys

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia continues to receive Rohingya refugees fleeing conflict and persecution from Myanmar, among them 81 displaced persons who arrived after a 113 day voyage.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria urged for a more cautious approach in reopening schools for face-to face learning, despite Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim’s assertion that the schools are ready.

And volcano observers of Mount Raung in East Java Province’s Banyuwangi Regency noticed a sound and light show in the skies that are more X-Files than volcanic phenomena. This and more on Indonesia Highlights:

ANTARA FOTO/HAYATURRAHMAH A Rohingya girl and women who survived the voyage to Aceh, on Friday (4/6/2021)

81 Rohingya Refugees Stranded in Indonesia's Aceh Province

A boat carrying 81 Rohingya refugees has landed on Idaman Island in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Friday, June 4, after a 113-day voyage.

"We have learnt that the 81 (refugees) were fine, they landed on Idaman Island in Aceh (Indonesia)," said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, a group that monitors the Rohingya, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.

The headman of Kuala Simpang village on Idaman Island, Ulim Umar Idris, backed Chris' findings. "The villagers said the ship had been stranded off [Kuala Simpang] village. The locals also gave food and drink [to the refugees]," he said.

"However, nobody dared to approach them, for fear of Covid-19 transmission."

Dwi Prafitria, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia, told Reuters that the refugees currently don't have a place to stay.

The vessel set sail from Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh on February 11 with 90 refugees with the hope of reaching Malaysia. But the boat's engine failed off the Andaman Islands, four days after leaving Cox's Bazar.

Of the 90 people who set out on the voyage, eight were found dead by Indian Coast Guards who had tracked and later repaired the vessel in February.

More than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are living in teeming camps in Bangladesh. Human traffickers often lure Rohingya refugees, persuading them to travel on rickety vessels to Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/04/234629474/81-rohingya-refugees-stranded-in-indonesias-aceh-province?page=all#page2. 

KOMPAS.com/SINGGIH WIRYONO Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria on Tuesday, (18/5/2021)

Jakarta’s Deputy Governor Takes Cautious Approach to Face-to-Face Classes