Dec 29, 2021: According to a report by Al Jazeera, Indonesia has announced that it will allow a boat full of Rohingya refugees stranded on its shores to dock following a request from aid organizations to allow the boat to take refuge.
Earlier, local officials in the western island of Sumatra’s Aceh province had said they would provide food, medicine and water to about 120 passengers aboard the ship, but did not allow them to seek refuge in the Southeast Asian country.
“Today, in the name of humanity, the Indonesian government has decided to grant asylum to Rohingya refugees who are currently aboard a boat near Aceh in the Bayrun district,” said Armed Vijaya, an official with Indonesia’s chief security ministry. “The decision was made in view of the emergency situation for the refugees on board,” he said.
He added that most of the passengers were women and children.
Two fishermen told Reuters on Wednesday that the stranded boat was in danger of sinking in a few days. “There were two places where the boat was leaking. There was a lot of water,” said Aditya Setivan, one of the fishermen.
Last year, hundreds of Rohingya who fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar arrived in Indonesia. For years, Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar leave for countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between November and April when the seas are calm. Many people have been turned away.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Al Jazeera that Indonesia’s decision to allow refugees to disembark was a victory for human rights and international law.
UNHCR Representative for Jakarta Ann Mayman said, “We are extremely grateful to the Indonesian government … it is a decision that we have not seen other governments take with regard to other boats,”
“It is an example for other countries to follow, both in the Asia Pacific region and also in other parts of the world where boats are being pushed back.”
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