Hundreds of residents on Indonesian island protest the growing arrival of Rohingya refugees by sea

By REZA SAIFULLAH and EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

SABANG, Indonesia (AP) — More than 200 people have protested against the continued arrival of Rohingya refugees by boat on an island in Indonesia. Over 1,500 Rohingya who fled violent attacks in Myanmar and are leaving camps in Bangladesh have arrived in Aceh off the tip of Sumatra since November. They have faced some hostility from fellow Muslims in Aceh. Indonesia once tolerated such landings of refugees, while Thailand and Malaysia push them away. But the government last week asked the international community for help. The protesters want the U.N. refugee agency to remove all Rohingya refugees. They also want humanitarian organizations helping the refugees to leave.