JakartaPost-Dec 29, 2022
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has commended Indonesia for rescuing hundreds of Rohingya refugees who were stranded at sea for weeks and called on other nations in the region to do their part to address the fresh boat crisis. “Indonesia has helped to save [more than 400] people in the past six weeks from four boats, showing its commitment and respect of basic humanitarian principles for people who face persecution and conflict. UNHCR urges other States to follow this example”, said the UN refugee agency in a written statement published on Tuesday. The UN plea came as local communities and international NGOs in Aceh were providing emergency assistance to over 200 Rohingya people who arrived in the province on Sunday and Monday. Among them are believed to have been a boatload of an estimated 180 people who had languished at sea for weeks and who were feared lost. Indonesia already hosted 229 Rohingya refugees who washed ashore on the coast of North Aceh in November and who are currently living at an unused immigration office building in Lhokseumawe. The latest wave of refugees, who arrived on two boats of 58 and 174 people, respectively, brings the total number of refugees in Aceh to 451 people. The government needs to work with its partners in the region to tackle the protracted refugee crisis, according to Amnesty International Indonesia (AII). “In the absence of an immediate, resourceful, and coordinated response by regional governments to help Rohingya refugees still aboard imperilled vessels, lives may be lost. This is unacceptable,” AII executive director Usman Hamid said, adding that the refugees were facing a dire situation in junta-ruled Myanmar, their home country. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/12/29/un-praises-ri-for-aiding-rohingya-asks-other-nations-to-follow-suit.html
