On March 25, law enforcement officials in Indonesia announced that search and rescue teams had retrieved the bodies of at least 11 Rohingya refugees, following the capsizing of their boat last week, which carried about 150 people.
The Rohingya, a mainly Muslim ethnic group, have long faced severe persecution in Myanmar, prompting thousands each year to risk dangerous sea journeys toward Malaysia or Indonesia aboard unreliable vessels in search of sanctuary.
Fathur Rahman, head of the local search and rescue operation, disclosed the initial recovery of about six Rohingya from the sea, some 16 miles from shore, all identified as females, elevating the death toll to 11. These developments followed reports from local fishermen about the bodies, leading to action by authorities. The deceased have since been transported to a hospital for examination.
In prior rescue operations, authorities managed on Thursday, March 21, to save 69 Rohingya refugees who had been adrift for weeks. Many of these survivors were found clinging to the hull of their capsized vessel. This was preceded by a March 20th operation where six people were rescued by local fishermen.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has kept a vigilant watch on the situation, noting that from mid-November to late January, a total of 1,752 Rohingya refugees, mainly women and children, landed in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. This recent influx marks the most significant movement of Rohingya into the Muslim-majority country since 2015, driven by deteriorating conditions in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps and the persistent threat of violence in Myanmar.
The dangerous voyages undertaken by Rohingya refugees via smugglers’ networks have long posed a challenge. Between 2012 and 2015, over 112,500 Rohingya embarked on risky sea journeys to Southeast Asia, with many abandoned at sea during crackdowns. The deplorable conditions in the Bangladesh camps have led to a noticeable increase in refugees seeking refuge in Indonesia, a trend expected to persist.
The recent incident highlights the escalating risks Rohingya refugees face in their quest to escape persecution. Indonesia, not a party to the UN Refugee Convention, has traditionally offered temporary refuge to those in distress. The collaborative response from UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in providing aid to the arriving refugees underscores the global concern for their welfare. Despite these concerted efforts, the loss of life in this incident points to it potentially being one of the year’s most tragic events of its kind in Indonesia.