At least one dead body was seen on board a boat carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees that was located off the coast of westernmost province in Indonesia on Saturday, according to local officials.
The Rohingya people, who are predominantly Muslim, face severe persecution in Myanmar, and every year hundreds of them risk their lives by travelling great distances by sea in an attempt to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.
According to community leader Muhammad Jabal, the Rohingya boat is anchored three to four miles (five to six km) off the coast of the South Aceh region, with its engine off.
He added that when he and others ventured out on Friday to bring food and water to the migrants, they spotted the boat for the first time, estimating that there were more least a hundred people on board.
“I saw with my own eyes there was a body. There were many children too aboard the boat,” Jabal said.
The day before the sighting of the boat, the body of a Rohingya woman was found at sea. Local police chief Sabda Man Sobri confirmed she was a member of the ethnic group, but could not comment on whether she was connected to the boat.
Yuhelmi, a South Aceh district spokesperson, confirmed the boat sighting but said locals were waiting for an immigration team from provincial capital Banda Aceh to arrive before deciding the next step for the refugees.
“Whether (the refugees) will be brought on land, that’s within the authority of the immigration. For now, there has been no decision,” said Yuhelmi, who goes by one name.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) expressed its optimism that the refugees would be rescued right away after learning about the vessel from the local authorities.
While many Acehnese are sympathetic to the Rohingya’s suffering, some residents have objected to their entry, accusing them of engaging in antisocial activity.
More than a hundred Rohingya refugees were forcibly relocated in December 2023 after hundreds of students stormed a function venue in Aceh, where they were taking asylum and kicked their possessions.
