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54 Ethnic Burmese Refugees Rescued Off Aceh’s Coast
Nurdin Hasan | February 02, 2012

Rohingya refugees in Aceh’s Dewantara subdistrict on Wednesday, after being rescued by local fishermen. The Rohingya often face economic and political pressure in their native Burma. (Antara Photo/Rahmad) Rohingya refugees in Aceh’s Dewantara subdistrict on Wednesday, after being rescued by local fishermen. The Rohingya often face economic and political pressure in their native Burma. (Antara Photo/Rahmad)
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Banda Aceh. A total of 54 refugees stranded on the open sea off North Aceh were rescued by Acehnese fishermen on Wednesday.

The rescued people are all from the Burmese Muslim ethnic minority Rohingya, and are thought to have been en route to seek asylum in Australia when the motor on their wooden vessel broke down.

Jamali, a leader of a fishermen’s association in North Aceh’s Dewantara subdistrict, took part in the rescue, which was undertaken at about 2 p.m.

“Fishermen from Krueng Geukueh succeeded in evacuating the Rohingya from one wooden boat, which was damaged and its motor dead,” Jamali told journalists.

Once safely ashore, the asylum seekers were taken to nearby Blukat Teubai village, where they were accommodated in the annex of a mosque.

Dozens of villagers donated food and drink to the exhausted seafarers.

“Their condition was very concerning. A number of them were very weak from dehydration and hunger,” Jamali said. He added that the villagers intended to move them soon to the Krueng Geukueh port area.

Jamali said the Rohingya were lucky to have been spotted by fishermen who were working about 12 kilometers offshore.

“They saw a vessel full of passengers, just being washed back and forth on the waves. The boat’s passengers were calling out for help, food and water,” he said.

It was difficult for the rescuers and villagers to communicate with the refugees, with gestures being their only means of making themselves understood.

The police chief of North Aceh, Farid Bachtiar Efendi, could not be reached to confirm details of the rescue or provide information on authorities’ plans to deal with the 54 foreigners.

This is the fourth time that Rohingya refugees have been rescued in Acehnese waters.

On Jan. 7, 2009, a boat carrying 194 Rohingya was stranded near Sabang, and a month later, on Feb. 3, a further 198 were found in the waters off Idi Rayeuk in East Aceh. On Feb. 16 last year, a vessel carrying 129 Rohingya refugees was found near Laweueng in Aceh Besar.

The Rohingya leave Burma because of economic and political pressure, with those who take to the seas usually setting out for Australia or Malaysia.

If they are rescued in Indonesian waters, the Rohingya are normally processed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to determine their status. The UN agency then looks for a third-party nation willing to accept them.

There are 11 designated countries for refugee resettlement, but acceptance depends on recipient countries’ annual quotas.