JAKARTA – Over 110 Rohingya refugees arrived on Saturday in Indonesia’s Aceh province after their boat nearly sank, highlighting the growing influx of stateless individuals fleeing Myanmar. Rescued by local fishermen, the mostly women and children disembarked in East Aceh’s Birem Bayeun district after their vessel sustained critical damage, according to local officials and the U.N. refugee agency.
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, often make perilous journeys to Southeast Asian nations, escaping dire conditions in refugee camps. Typically, they attempt these crossings between October and April when seas are calmer.
This latest arrival adds to the nearly 400 Rohingya who landed in Aceh and North Sumatra last month and is part of a sharp increase in migration. UNHCR data shows over 2,000 Rohingya reached Indonesia last year, surpassing totals from the previous four years combined.
While Indonesia, a non-signatory of the U.N. Refugee Convention, has assisted many arrivals, local communities are increasingly frustrated, citing limited resources and capacity to accommodate the influx. Meanwhile, almost 1 million Rohingya remain in sprawling camps in Bangladesh, facing an uncertain future as stateless individuals.
This humanitarian crisis underscores the urgent need for regional cooperation and global intervention to address the plight of the Rohingya and the challenges faced by host nations like Indonesia.