140 Rohingya are stranded off the coast of Indonesia as local authorities refuse to grant them permission to land

Approximately 140 weak and hungry Rohingya Muslims, primarily women and children, are stranded on a wooden boat about 1 mile (0.60 kilometers) off the coast of Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh, as local residents deny them landing permission.

The blue-painted boat has been adrift since Friday. Local police reported that three Rohingya died during the nearly two-week journey from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to the waters near Labuhan Haji in South Aceh district.

Since Sunday, authorities have transferred 11 Rohingya to a government hospital due to deteriorating health conditions.

“Our fishing community refuses to allow them to land because of incidents that occurred in other places, which caused unrest among local residents,” said Muhammad Jabal, the chief of the fishing community in South Aceh. A large banner at the seaport stated: “The people of South Aceh Regency reject the arrival of Rohingya refugees in the South Aceh Regency area.”

According to an Aceh police report, the group left Cox’s Bazar on October 9, intending to reach Malaysia. Some passengers had reportedly paid for transportation to other countries.

Local residents have provided the group with food, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also supplied them with provisions. When the boat departed Bangladesh, there were 216 people onboard, with 50 reportedly disembarking in Indonesia’s Riau province, according to police.

Aceh police have arrested three individuals on suspicion of people smuggling.

Approximately 1 million Rohingya, primarily Muslims, are living in Bangladesh as refugees from Myanmar, including around 740,000 who fled a brutal counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar’s security forces in 2017, which involved widespread allegations of mass rapes and killings.

The Rohingya minority in Myanmar faces severe discrimination and is largely denied citizenship.

Indonesia, like Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention and is not obligated to accept refugees. However, the country typically provides temporary shelter to those in distress.

In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Aceh. Unfortunately, another 67 passengers, including at least 28 children, lost their lives when that boat capsized, according to the UNHCR. Reports indicated that the captain and crew had tortured women and girls before the vessel sank.