More Rohingya refugees arrive in Indonesia despite rejection from locals

By BINSAR BAKKARA
Associated Press

MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) — Some 170 likely Rohingya refugees, mostly hungry and weak women and children, have been found on a beach in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province after weeks at sea. The group arrived on a beach at Kuala Besar, a fishing village in Langkat district, late Saturday. Villagers who saw the group of Rohingya Muslims helped them with food and water as they waited for further instructions from immigration and local officials in North Sumatra province. Muslims comprise nearly 90% of Indonesia’s 277 million people, and Indonesia once tolerated such landings, while Thailand and Malaysia pushed refugee boats away. But there has been a surge of anti-Rohingya sentiment this year, especially in Aceh.