- Title: INDONESIA: Myanmar boat people stranded on island off Indonesia's Aceh province
- Date: 26th April 2006
- Summary: LEADER OF GROUP TRACING THEIR JOURNEY ON MAP TO NAVY OFFICERS/ CLOSE OF MAP
- Embargoed: 11th May 2006 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Indonesia
- City:
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA8O8GOY6VHJ3XSZJXNDG0G6WVA
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: A boatload of 77 Myanmar nationals was stranded off the coast of Indonesia's western most province of Aceh and officials are investigating if they are asylum seekers.
The United Nations says there are thousands of asylum seekers from Myanmar in Malaysia, but it is rare for them to land on Indonesian shores in search of asylum.
The boat landed on Monday (April 24) on Rondo islet off the province, which lies on the northern tip of Sumatra island, and the navy had brought them to the Sabang naval base on nearby Weh island.
One of the 77 men could speak Malay, a close language to Bahasa Indonesia, and said the group was heading to the island of Penang in Malaysia to find work and that they are ethnic Muslim Rohingyas.
"There were problems with the boat, with the engine. Then we ran out of fuel and we also ran out of food," said Ahmad Amin, the leader of the group, adding that they had spent a total of 13 days at sea.
Only one among the 77 men, 20-year-old Mahmud Qobir, was reportedly carrying an identification card -- a student ID identifying him as an 8th grade student in Myanmar.
Without proper documents and without any request of political asylum, immigration officials are expected to soon deport the stranded migrants by escorting them to international waters.
"We hope to provide the best solution for them. The boat captain and group leader said they would want to continue their journey to Penang, Malaysia," said Sabang Navy Commander Aswoto Saranang, adding that the navy would resupply the boat with fuel and food.
Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta for more than four decades. That leadership ignored an overwhelming victory by an opposition party in 1990 and proposed three years ago a seven-step "roadmap to democracy" instead while detaining pro-democracy figures including Novel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some 250,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh in early 1992, fleeding west Myanmar's Muslim-majority Arakan state to escape alleged military persecution and find work.
Most had been repatriated by 2002 under UNHCR supervision. More than 20,000 Rohingyas, however, now still live in two government camps in Bangladesh, while thousands of others have lived illegally as unregistered refugees or illegal migrant workers there as well as in other countries, including Malaysia. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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