Hundreds storm temporary Rohingya shelter in Indonesia, vandalize belongings

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Hundreds of young students stormed a temporary Rohingya refugee shelter in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh and forced them to leave the building, local media reported on Wednesday.

A group of students entered in a building where the authorities housed around 135 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, and attacked them, according to daily Media Indonesia.

Angry mob chanted slogans of "Home! Home!"

They also kicked and threw boxes containing belongings of the refugees, according to report.

The tense environment made the immigrants feel fear, said the daily, adding that women and children as well as babies cried together.

Later, all the refugees were transported by truck to the local office of the Law and Human Rights Ministry in Aceh.

Earlier this month, hundreds of locals staged a protest against the arrival of Rohingya refugees via boats to Aceh and demanded the authorities shift them to another location.

Later, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that the growing number of Rohingya people arriving in the Southeast Asian country is probably due to human trafficking.

He added that his government continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya refugees and coordinates with international institutions handling refugees.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 3,500 Rohingya attempted deadly sea crossings in 39 boats in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2022 to reach Indonesia, a 360% rise compared to 2021.

This year, around 1,543 people arrived in Aceh.

Rohingya people mostly embark on dangerous journeys between November and April via boats to reach Thailand, Bangladesh, or further to Indonesia and Malaysia when the seas are calmer.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid