Photo credit: Aljazeera
Over 70 Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar have arrived at a tourist beach in Indonesia’s Aceh province.
Aljazeera reports that local police chief Nova Suryandaru said a wooden boat carrying 40 men, 32 women and four children ran aground in Pereulak region in East Aceh on Wednesday after its engine broke down.
He said the refugees were taken to temporary shelters and that authorities were collecting information about their identities.
The boat arrived at the beach in the afternoon but was blocked from landing by locals until about 13:00 GMT.
The police chief said police negotiated with residents, explaining that the boat had been “deliberately damaged” and that it was “impossible” for the boat to operate again.
He said many suspected illegal traffickers had damaged the boat, which reportedly set off from Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh in the hope of reaching Malaysia.
