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Dozens of Rohingya refugees flee Myanmar, land by boat in Indonesia

The group of 110 making the hazardous month-long journey included women and children.

Reuters

More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar in 2017 after a military crackdown that witnesses said included mass killings and rape.

More than 100 Rohingya Muslims traveling in a boat for more than a month were found along the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, the latest group of refugees believed to be making hazardous sea voyages from Myanmar.

Local fishermen saw the 110 Rohingya early in the morning on Tuesday at a beach in Meunasah Baro village. They included 65 men, 27 women and 18 children, according to police chief, Herman Saputra.

Local authorities collected data from the refugees to determine their circumstances. They were reported to be weak and hungry and were moved to a community hall in the village for health checks until authorities decide where to accommodate them.

Muhammad Amin, one of the refugees, said that before they were stranded in Aceh waters, they were aiming for Malaysia as their destination.

In March, 114 Rohingya refugees were also found on a beach in Bireuen district in Aceh province.

Fleeing persecution

More than 750,000 members of the Rohingya ethnic group fled Myanmar following a crackdown launched by the army in the later summer of 2017 - fleeing what the UN described at the time as "textbook ethnic cleansing" and what rights groups have described as "genocide".

Rights groups have documented Myanmar security forces committing mass rapes, killings, and the burning of thousands of Rohingya homes.

Myanmar authorities have said they were battling an insurgency and deny carrying out systematic atrocities.

Groups of Rohingya Muslims have attempted to leave the camps in Bangladesh by sea to seek better life in other countries in the region.

Malaysia has been a common destination for the boats even though many Rohingya refugees who land there face detention.

Although neighbouring Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN refugee agency said that a 2016 presidential regulation provides a legal framework governing the treatment of refugees on boats in distress near Indonesia and helps them disembark in the country.