Indonesian Protesters Storm Refugee Shelter, Urging Deportation of Rohingya
Indonesian students forcibly entered a convention center sheltering Rohingya refugees in Banda Aceh on Wednesday, demanding their expulsion amid scenes of distress captured by Reuters.
Local police did not immediately comment on the incident. The footage showed panicked Rohingya families as the students, clad in green jackets, surged into the shelter's basement. The refugees predominantly women and children were then herded onto trucks by the mob.
The UNHCR condemned the attack on the vulnerable refugees, highlighting the majority are women and children, and urged for enhanced protection. The agency also noted that the aggression stemmed from an orchestrated campaign of misinformation and hate online, leaving the refugees shocked and traumatized.
Hostility towards the Rohingya in Indonesia is mounting, fueled by frustrations over the increasing arrival of boats carrying this marginalized group from Myanmar. Fleeing persecution in their home country, over 1,500 Rohingya have reached Indonesia since November, particularly during the calmer seas from November to April, often heading to Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
During a rally earlier on Wednesday, 23-year-old Wariza Anis Munandar advocated for the deportation of the Rohingya, with 20-year-old Della Masrida asserting that the refugees were unwelcome and acting as if Indonesia was their own country.
Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo, attributes the rise in arrivals to human trafficking and has promised to cooperate with international bodies to provide temporary refuge, despite Indonesia not being a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The Rohingya, historically denied citizenship and facing abuse in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, continue to flee their homeland as a persecuted community.
The UNHCR condemned the attack on the vulnerable refugees, highlighting the majority are women and children, and urged for enhanced protection. The agency also noted that the aggression stemmed from an orchestrated campaign of misinformation and hate online, leaving the refugees shocked and traumatized.
Hostility towards the Rohingya in Indonesia is mounting, fueled by frustrations over the increasing arrival of boats carrying this marginalized group from Myanmar. Fleeing persecution in their home country, over 1,500 Rohingya have reached Indonesia since November, particularly during the calmer seas from November to April, often heading to Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
During a rally earlier on Wednesday, 23-year-old Wariza Anis Munandar advocated for the deportation of the Rohingya, with 20-year-old Della Masrida asserting that the refugees were unwelcome and acting as if Indonesia was their own country.
Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo, attributes the rise in arrivals to human trafficking and has promised to cooperate with international bodies to provide temporary refuge, despite Indonesia not being a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The Rohingya, historically denied citizenship and facing abuse in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, continue to flee their homeland as a persecuted community.