Rohingya Refugees Get Emergency Treatment after Boat Lands in Indonesia

Marfian, a leader of a local fishing community on the scene not long after the refugees arrived, said that "some refugees landed in weak conditions".

"When they were at the shoreline, locals helped by giving them food," Marfian said.

He noted that in recent years some Acehnese fishermen had helped Rohingya boats come ashore but the latest boat was carried to land by the wind, as fishermen had become more reluctant to help.

Also read: More Than 100 Rohingya Land on Beach in Indonesia’s Aceh

Winardy underscored that authorities were coordinating on refugee response "considering their landing in Aceh has become more frequent".

Monday's boat landing in Aceh came a day after another vessel carrying 57 Rohingya refugees came ashore in the province after a month at sea.

In November, two boats carrying a total of 229 Rohingya landed in the same province, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Relatively affluent Malaysia is a favored destination for the refugees, but many land first in Muslim-majority Indonesia, seen as more welcoming.

UN agencies and human rights groups have called on states in the region for urgent help after several boats carrying Rohingya were reported adrift for weeks in the Indian ocean.

The UNHCR said over the weekend that some 180 Rohingya at sea for weeks were feared dead after relatives said they'd lost contact and presumed none on board had survived.

Source: Agence France-Presse