Rohingya Refugees Shifted to Medan

As many as 129 Rohingya refugees from Burma were moved on Wednesday from Aceh to Medan.

The refugees, who had been rescued by Acehnese fishermen after being stranded at sea for days, are awaiting confirmation of their status from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Asylum seekers from Burma looking through the window at a temporary shelters, at the port of Malahayati, Aceh, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Asylum seekers from Myanmar were relocated to Medan, North Sumatra, while awaiting a decision from the UNHCR to determine their future destination. (EPA Photo)

Wilmar Sayuti, head of the immigration office in Banda Aceh, told the Jakarta Globe the transfer of the Rohingyas had been carried out on the instructions of the Directorate General of Immigration because their transit shelter at the Malahayati seaport in Krueng Raya, Aceh Besar, had been deemed unsuitable.

“During their journey, they were escorted by 10 officers from the immigration office and maritime police,” he said.

The Rohingyas, who are part of Burma’s persecuted minority Muslim population, will be held at the Wisma Pelangi shelter in Polonia subdistrict.