While (VOA) —
Six ethnic Rohingya refugees managed to land in West Aceh waters in the Samatiga District area, West Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, Wednesday afternoon (20/3). The six were part of a group of hundreds of Rohingya ethnic people trying to reach Aceh from Bangladesh, whose boat capsized in the province's waters.
Acting Samatiga subdistrict head, Mimi Al Nur, said the six Rohingya people who had landed in his area consisted of two men and four women. They have been placed temporarily in the hall of the Samatiga Subdistrict Office.
“Yesterday the community reported that a Rohingya ethnic group had landed on the beach in our sub-district. “Then, the six Rohingya ethnic people were taken to the sub-district office using motorized pedicabs,” he told VOA, Thursday (21/3) morning.
According to Mimi Al Nur, currently hundreds of other Rohingya at sea are still being evacuated to land by a joint team from West Aceh Basarnas. However, it is not yet known exactly how many Rohingya are still adrift at sea. The Acting Head of Samatiga Subdistrict also received information that someone had died in the Rohingya ethnic group.
“Their ship has capsized. So we don't know how many men and women there are. “According to information, there are also people who have died,” said Mimi Al Nur.
The local government is currently still coordinating to determine the point where the Rohingya ethnic group will be disembarked.
“I am coordinating to determine the point where they will be dropped off. So it is estimated that around 12.00 WIB they will be landed. “We are still coordinating where the landing location will be,” explained Mimi Al Nur.
Kontras Calls on the Government to Provide Assistance
Meanwhile, KontraS Aceh Coordinator, Azharul Husna, suggested that the local government should provide assistance to the Rohingya ethnic group.
“They are fighting between life and death to help people who are looking for protection to become worshipers in the month of Ramadan. So that the efforts of rejection and deportation should not be done because it is important to know who the Rohingya refugees are and why they left their country and seek safety,” he told VOA.
Rohingya refugees board a search and rescue boat after being rescued from their capsized boat in West Aceh, Thursday, March 21, 202. (Photo: Reza Saifullah/AP Photo)
The local government was also asked to provide understanding to the community so that rejection of the Rohingya ethnic group does not occur, as in several areas.
“This is the job of the central and regional governments to work together to provide comprehensive understanding and information to the public, especially the people of West Aceh regarding violations of the human rights of the Rohingya ethnic group,” he said.
Serious sanctions are needed against Myanmar
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights (HAM) in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, on Wednesday (20/3) said there must be serious steps taken by the international community “to help prevent the terror junta government from taking such steps That.”
“There must be coordinated, focused and targeted sanctions against the Myanmar military junta government. Real sanctions – for example taking away their weapons – would put a stop to “their idea of legitimacy,” Andrews said.
Andrews underlined that “the Myanmar military junta will do anything and everything to project or demonstrate their legitimacy. They do this whenever the international community treats them as if they were a legitimate government. It should be noted that they are not a legitimate government.”
About 740,000 members of the Muslim-Rohingya ethnic minority fled to Myanmar in August 2017 when the military launched a brutal offensive against them, saying it was in retaliation for the deaths of several Myanmar soldiers. (aa/em)