More than 70 Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar have arrived at a tourist beach in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

Local police chief Nova Suryandaru said a wooden boat carrying 40 men, 32 women and four children ran aground in Pereulak region in East Aceh on Wednesday after its engine broke down.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

Nova said the refugees were taken to temporary shelters and that authorities were collecting information about their identities.

The boat had arrived at the beach in the afternoon but was blocked from landing by locals until about 8pm (13:00 GMT).

The police chief said police negotiated with residents, explaining that the boat had been “deliberately damaged” and that it was “impossible” for the boat to operate again.

He said many suspected illegal traffickers had damaged the boat, which reportedly set off from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh in the hope of reaching Malaysia.

According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia in 2023 – higher than the combined total of arrivals in the previous four years.

Advertisement

In the past year alone, more than 600 Rohingya refugees have landed in East Aceh. Earlier this month, more than 260 people – mostly women and children – landed in Pereulak in two boats.

About one million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are currently in camps in Bangladesh after leaving Myanmar.

They include about 740,000 who fled a brutal “clearance campaign” in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.

The Rohingya minority face widespread discrimination in Myanmar and most are denied citizenship.