Boat adrift at sea for weeks carrying Rohingya refugees reaches Indonesia's Aceh

Jakarta, Dec 27: A boat carrying Rohingya refugees which was adrift for a month at sea has finally landed in Indonesia's Aceh, reported international media on Monday (Dec 26) citing the two rights groups that have been tracking the vessel.

 

 

 

 

The boat which reached Aceh, Indonesia on Monday (Dec 26) afternoon had over 180 ethnic Rohingya men, women and children in it. More than a dozen are reportedly dead. Moreover, on Sunday (Dec 25), a boat carrying 57 Rohingya men arrived in Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra in the far west of the Indonesian archipelago. Notably, more than one million Rohingya people have sought refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

 

 

 

 

 

According to human rights organizations, up to 20 passengers may have died throughout the journey up to that time. As on Monday (Dec 26), they were unable to confirm the death toll. Some of the rescued passengers appear weary and gaunt in the videos which were obtained by VOA news. Last week, a Rohingya activist in the refugee camps shared with the media that the captain of the boat had called him and said they were "starving to death."

 

On Thursday, the UN-appointed independent human rights expert, Tom Andrews, issued a statement urging governments to "immediately and urgently coordinate search and rescue for this boat and ensure safe disembarkation of those aboard before any further loss of life occurs". "While many in the world are preparing to enjoy a holiday season and ring in a new year, boats bearing desperate Rohingya men, women and young children, are setting off on perilous journeys in unseaworthy vessels", said the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar.