Risking death at sea, Rohingya Muslims seek safety in Indonesia

Published December 29, 2022
Fatimah Bin Ismail, a 19-year-old Rohingya refugee, eats at her temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province, Indonesia on Dec 28. — Reuters
Fatimah Bin Ismail, a 19-year-old Rohingya refugee, eats at her temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province, Indonesia on Dec 28. — Reuters

Crying with relief after a traumatic 40-day voyage to Indonesia in a leaky boat, Rohingya Muslim Fatimah bin Ismail held a mobile phone with shaky hands as she made a video call to relatives.

The 19-year-old was among 174 surviving Rohingya people in the overloaded wooden fishing boat when it washed up on the shores of Indonesia’s Aceh province this week.

Around 200 had been on board — fleeing poverty and persecution — when it set off across the Indian Ocean from Bangladesh on Nov 21.

Of the 20 or more who died along the way, some leapt into the water in desperation after the boat broke down and started to drift, fearing it would sink.

That boat had been reported in waters close to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

“Three men jumped because they couldn’t handle the hunger. Then after 12 days, water started coming into the boat,” Fatimah told Reuters.

“There were bodies floating in the water, here and there. We couldn’t do anything,” she added.

The Rohingya are a Muslim community from mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where they have long suffered repression.

Since a crackdown by Myanmar’s military in 2017, around 800,000 have been forced into Bangladesh, United Nations authorities estimate, but thousands have fled increasingly desperate conditions in refugee camps there.

Many try to get to Muslim-majority Indonesia — where the UN refugee agency says nearly 500 Rohingya have reached land in the past six weeks — or to Malaysia.

Indonesian authorities have been providing them with medical assistance, food and temporary shelter while working with global refugee agencies to ascertain their legal status.

 Rohingya refugees receive medical treatment at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province, Indonesia on Dec 26. — Antara Foto/Joni Saputra/via Reuters
Rohingya refugees receive medical treatment at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province, Indonesia on Dec 26. — Antara Foto/Joni Saputra/via Reuters

Fatimah now hopes to join her relatives in Malaysia but she doesn’t know how or when.

“I just want to live comfortably,” she said. “I hope I can live well and be safe here.”

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...