Rescue Operation Saves Rohingya Refugees
On Thursday, an Indonesian search and rescue vessel located a capsized boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya Muslim refugees. The rescue team successfully pulled the survivors to safety, with some individuals being transferred to nearby fishing boats while others were rescued by the Indonesian vessel.
Challenging Rescue Operation
Men, women, and children, weakened and soaked from the night’s rain, wept as they were taken aboard a rubber ship to the rescue boat. The small boat had overturned off the northernmost coast of Indonesia, leaving the exact number of refugees on board unknown.
Survivors’ Accounts
Six survivors initially saved by local fishermen estimated the number of survivors to be between sixty and one hundred. It remains unclear if everyone managed to survive the night by clinging to the overturned boat or if some perished from drowning.
International Response
Indonesia, like Malaysia and Thailand, is not a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention, but has been providing temporary housing to refugees in need. The country has seen a rise in the number of refugees seeking assistance, prompting calls for international support.
Tragic Losses at Sea
According to a report from the UN refugee agency, nearly 4,500 Rohingya, mostly women and children, attempted to flee from refugee camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar last year. Tragically, 569 individuals have died or gone missing while crossing the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea since 2014.
