Indonesia will accept dozens of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea Rohingya News

Officials had previously said they would provide food and water to the refugees but could not land in Indonesia.

Indonesia has announced that it will allow it a boat full of Rohingya the refugees, who were stranded off its coast, were called to the port to seek refuge in the port after calls from aid organizations.

Local officials in Aceh on the western island of Sumatra said on Tuesday that it would provide food, medicine and water to about 120 passengers on board, but would not allow them to seek refuge in the Southeast Asian country, despite international demands.

“Today, the Indonesian government has decided, on behalf of humanity, to provide shelter to Rohingya refugees currently on the water near the Biereun district, Aceh,” Indonesian Security Ministry official Armed Wijaya said on Wednesday.

“The decision was made in light of the emergency conditions that refugees are facing on board,” he said. Her passengers were mostly women and children, she added.

The two fishermen were in danger of sinking in a few days, the two fishermen told Reuters on Wednesday.

“There were two places when the boat was spilled. There was [a] lots of water, ”said Aditya Setiawan, one of the fishermen. In a video watched by Reuters, dozens of people appeared wrapped up and under the backs of a long wooden crew.

Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington, from the Indonesian capital Jakarta, said the decision to allow the refugees to land “was not entirely surprising.”

“In the past, Indonesia has accepted refugees from the water near Aceh. But it is important to note that Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and does not see it as a final destination for resettlement, ”Washington said.

The Rohingya it is a group of ethnic Muslim minorities, more than 700,000 of whom fled persecution and violence in neighboring Myanmar in August 2017.

Last year, hundreds of Rohingya who fled the persecution of the Buddhist-majority Myanmar arrived in Indonesia.

Rohingya Muslim refugees in Myanmar have been around for years he sailed to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia when the seas are calm between November and April. Many have been discarded.

Ann Maymann, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jakarta, told Al Jazeera that allowing Indonesia to disembark from a ship affected by refugees has been a victory for human rights and international law.

“We are very grateful to the Indonesian government … this is a decision that other governments have not taken with regard to other ships,” he said.

“It’s an example for other countries to follow, both in the Asia Pacific region and in other parts of the world where ships are being dumped.”