Rohingya migrants were brought ashore after a spectacular Indonesian rescue

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

After an 18-hour rescue operation, the evacuees — largely women and children – were brought ashore at Lhokseumawe in Aceh.

Due to severe rains and strong seas, a standoff between a boat carrying Rohingya migrants and the Indonesian navy culminated with a dramatic rescue that took 18 hours to complete.

In the early hours of Friday, the refugees — largely women and children – were carried ashore at Lhokseumawe in Indonesia's northwestern province of Aceh.
Officials from the health department screened them right away as part of the country's COVID-19 protocol.

 

"We are relieved and grateful to the Indonesian government for allowing the Rohingya to disembark in Aceh on humanitarian grounds," Lilianne Fan, co-founder of Geutanyoe Foundation, an NGO that aids refugees in Indonesia and Malaysia, said.

"Indonesia has once again demonstrated remarkable humanity in its treatment of refugees, and this moral approach should be not just recognised but adequately supported," she told Al Jazeera.

 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also praised the Indonesian government's move in a statement to Al Jazeera.

"We are delighted that Indonesia and its people have once again demonstrated their humanitarian spirit by emphasising the importance of saving lives.
Facilitating the rapid disembarkation of vessels in trouble and preventing the loss of life is a humanitarian necessity," said Ann Maymann, UNHCR Representative in Indonesia.

After being spotted by fisherman bobbing in waters off the coast of Aceh on Sunday, the wrecked wooden vessel carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees was rescued.

 

The refugee boat, which had a broken motor and was taking in water, was initially refused by Indonesian police on Tuesday.
Before an apparent attempt to push the refugees back into Malaysian waters, photos circulating on social media showed the Indonesian navy preparing food, water, and gasoline for the refugees.

This sparked outrage, with NGOs such as Amnesty International and the UNHCR demanding that the refugees be allowed to land, causing Indonesian officials to relent.

"Today, the Indonesian government decided, in the cause of humanity, to provide asylum to Rohingya refugees currently afloat aboard a boat near Biereun district, Aceh," said Armed Wijaya, a spokesperson for Indonesia's primary security ministry, in a statement on Wednesday.