Indonesian fishermen rescue 116 Rohingya refugees

LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian fishermen on Saturday rescued 116 Rohingya refugees, mostly hungry and weak women and children, after their rickety boat sank, officials said.

The group had sailed from the Cox Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh hoping to reach to Indonesia or Malaysia in search of a better life, when it became stranded on an island in Indonesia’s northern province of Aceh, said local police chief Nova Suryandaru.

“Residents helped them as they look very weak from hunger and dehydration,” he said, adding however that many locals were opposed to their long-term stay.

Between February and October, 230 refugees landed in East Aceh district, and 173 of them left shelter on their own.

About 1 million predominantly Muslim Rohingya live in Bangladesh as refugees from Myanmar. They include about 740,000 who fled a brutal campaign in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.

The Rohingya minority in Myanmar faces widespread discrimination and most are denied citizenship.

Indonesia has appealed to the international community for help following as a sharp rise in Rohingya refugees leaving overcrowded camps in Bangladesh since last year.

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Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Rahmat Mirza, The Associated Press