Over 100 Rohingya Refugees Arrive in Aceh Fleeing Persecution

A wooden boat carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees, including many women and children, arrived in Indonesia’s northern Aceh province on Wednesday, continuing the troubling trend of Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar. The vessel, which had suffered engine failure, ran aground near the village of Pereulak in East Aceh district. Local authorities are currently working to identify the refugees and assess their condition.

Nova Suryandaru, the local police chief, reported that one of the refugees disclosed the boat had departed from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, hoping to reach Malaysia. However, there is suspicion that human traffickers deliberately sabotaged the boat to prevent its return to sea, leaving the refugees stranded.

“This is part of a larger crisis,” Suryandaru said, referencing the increasing number of Rohingya refugees arriving in the region. Over 600 Rohingya have landed in East Aceh in the past year alone, including more than 260 women and children who arrived in two separate boats earlier this month in desperate conditions, weak and hungry.

Indonesia has called for international assistance, as it faces the brunt of the humanitarian crisis resulting from the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims fleeing ongoing violence and political unrest in Myanmar. The Indonesian government has vowed to take “firm action” against the traffickers who exploit these vulnerable refugees.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar, have faced systemic persecution and widespread discrimination for decades. About 1 million Rohingya, including approximately 740,000 who fled a brutal military crackdown in 2017, are currently living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, where many have found refuge after fleeing Myanmar’s violent "clearance campaign." These refugees, survivors of mass killings and sexual violence, continue to endure immense hardship as they seek safety.

Indonesia’s ongoing efforts to support these refugees highlight the urgent need for coordinated international intervention to address both the immediate humanitarian crisis and the root causes of the Rohingya exodus.