NEARLY 100 Rohingya asylum seekers stranded off the coast of Indonesia were today pulled to shore by locals angered at authorities’ refusal to give them shelter over coronavirus fears.

Ninety-four people from the persecuted Myanmar minority, including 30 children, were reportedly plucked from a rickety wooden boat by fishermen this week before being intercepted by maritime officials from Sumatra who pulled them closer to shore.

But, officials in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra’s northern coast refused to allow the group to land, citing Covid-19 concerns.

Angry locals took matters into their own hands today by jumping into boats, which they used to pull the asylum seekers to shore.

Residents gathered on a beach cheered the move, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

“It’s purely for humanitarian reasons,” said fisherman Aples Kuari.

“We were sad seeing kids and pregnant women stranded at sea.”

Earlier today, local police chief Eko Hartanto said authorities wanted to send the Rohingya back to sea rather than provide them with temporary shelter.

But, they appeared to soften that stance in the face of local protests, and the weary group is now temporarily being put up in private residences.

They will be checked by medical staff to ensure they are virus-free, according to Aceh’s rescue agency.

Amnesty International praised the spirit of the rescue.

“Today’s disembarkation of Rohingya refugees is a moment of optimism and solidarity,” said its Indonesia executive director, Usman Hamid, in a statement.

“It’s a credit to the community in Aceh who pushed hard and took risks so that these children, women and men could be brought to shore. They have shown the best of humanity.”

Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia are favoured destinations for Muslim Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in mostly Buddhist Myanmar, with thousands trying a perilous escape via smugglers across the sea every year.

Muslim-majority Indonesia previously let Rohingya refugees land and allowed many to stay.

But, their plight has been compounded in recent months as officials turned them away over concerns they may be infected with Covid-19.

Around a million Rohingya live in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, where human traffickers also run lucrative operations promising to find them sanctuary abroad.

Yesterday, a coastguard official in Malaysia said dozens of Rohingya are believed to have died during a four-month boat journey to the country.

There had been more than 300 people on board the boat, which was intercepted by authorities earlier this month, with 269 survivors given temporary shelter. – AFP, June 25, 2020.