ROHINGYA refugees are being sent into Malaysian waters after their vessel ran into trouble off the coast of Aceh in Indonesia, said authorities today.

At least 100 mostly women and children aboard a wooden boat taking on water have been denied refuge in Indonesia, and instead pushed into the neighbouring country.

Despite calls from non-governmental organisations and the United Nations, Indonesian authorities are attempting to send the group back after providing clothes, fuel and supplies, and a technician to fix their damaged boat.

“We hope (the supplies) can help the Rohingya continue their planned and intended journey to Malaysia,” said Aceh police spokesman Winardy, who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name.

“We will monitor them until they reach their destination.”

The vessel was first sighted two days ago, stranded about 70 nautical miles off the Indonesian coast, according to a local navy commander.

Indonesian authorities have not pushed back Rohingya refugees as strongly as Malaysia or Thailand, instead reluctantly accepting them upon arrival by sea.

But Amnesty International and the UNHCR have called on the government to let the stranded group land.

“This is about life and death. There are women and children, we must pay attention to their health,” said Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid in a statement.

The UNHCR called on Jakarta to let the passengers disembark, pointing to the wooden boat’s unseaworthiness.

Badruddin Yunus, leader of a local fishing community, said fishermen who had visited the boat reported that there are 120 people on board, including 60 women and 51 children.

The engine was broken and the refugees cannot communicate with locals due to the language barrier, he added.

Last year, hundreds of the stateless ethnic group members who fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar arrived in Indonesia.

Many have since escaped to Malaysia, drawn by the substantial population of more than 100,000 Rohingya in the country. – AFP, December 28, 2021.