An Indonesia navy vessel in Aceh intercepted a boat transporting Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, signaling a rise in hostility towards them. Military spokesperson Nugraha Gumilar initially spotted the wooden boat near Weh Island, off Sumatra. Subsequently, the Indonesia navy closely followed the vessel, suspected to carry Rohingya, until it exited Indonesian waters and would not return. Despite these developments, the exact number of Rohingya on the boat remains unknown.
Since November, over 1,500 Rohingya have arrived in Indonesia, facing heightened animosity and resistance from locals frustrated with the increasing boat arrivals. Additionally, on December 27, Indonesian students forcefully entered a convention center in Aceh where Rohingya were sheltered, demanding their deportation.
The United Nations’ refugee agency (UNCHR) reported the incident, expressing deep concern over the mob attack on vulnerable refugee families. Notably, Rohingya, regarded as foreign interlopers in Myanmar, experience denial of citizenship and abuse, prompting their migration, mainly to Indonesia and Malaysia, between November and April when seas are calmer.
While Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, it has a history of accepting refugees. Importantly, Indonesia has called on Myanmar to cease violence against Rohingya and pledged to crack down on suspected human traffickers involved in the recent influx of arrivals.