By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, Dec 31 (NNN-Bernama) — UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, praised the Indonesian government for allowing the safe disembarkation of 105 Rohingya refugees who had been adrift for three weeks in the open seas near Aceh province.
The eight men, 50 women and 47 children who disembarked on Thursday evening, had been at sea in dangerous conditions and was first sighted in the waters near Bireuen, in northern Aceh, on Dec 26.
Indonesia initially wanted to turn away the boat, but on Wednesday decided otherwise on humanitarian grounds.
“We’re grateful that Indonesia and its people have once again proven their humanitarian spirit and shown that saving lives must always be the top priority.
“It is a humanitarian imperative to facilitate the immediate disembarkation of vessels in distress and to prevent the loss of life,” UNHCR Representative in Indonesia Ann Maymann said in a statement.
The agency pointed out that Indonesia has several times set an example to others in the region, having also provided life-saving humanitarian assistance to Rohingya in distress at sea in 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Most recently, in June 2021, 81 Rohingya refugees were rescued off the coast of East Aceh.
UNHCR also reiterates its call for regional countries to address the protection and humanitarian needs of refugees and asylum-seekers at sea.
The fact that the refugees continue to undertake these risky journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea emphasises the urgent need for countries to come up with solution to irregular maritime movements, it said.
— NNN-BERNAMA