JAKARTA (Reuters) – Over the weekend, more than 140 Rohingya have arrived in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, as reported by state news agency Antara on Monday. This adds to the recent surge of Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia. The group, primarily consisting of women and children, arrived by boat in North Sumatra’s Deli Serdang area late on Saturday, as confirmed by a police officer cited in the Antara report.
These arrivals come in the wake of the military’s announcement last week that its navy vessel had repelled a boat carrying Rohingya in waters further north off Sumatra, highlighting the challenges faced by the persecuted ethnic minority as they encounter increasing hostility and rejection in Indonesia.
According to data from the United Nations refugee agency (UNCHR), more than 1,500 Rohingya have landed in Indonesia since November. This trend reflects the ongoing struggles faced by Rohingya in Myanmar, where they are considered foreign interlopers, denied citizenship, and subjected to abuse.
Typically, Rohingya leave Myanmar for Indonesia or neighboring Malaysia from November to April when the seas are calmer. Indonesia, being the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees; however, it has a tradition of accepting refugees if they arrive in the country.
In summary, the recent influx of Rohingya refugees in North Sumatra highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the persecuted minority as they flee Myanmar in search of safety and security. This situation also sheds light on Indonesia’s history of providing refuge to displaced individuals, despite not being a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention.
(Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Jan Harvey)
