Rohingya Refugees Get Emergency Treatment after Boat Lands in Indonesia

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