VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Almost 300 Rohingya refugees are stranded in Aceh coast, specifically in Ujong Blang beach, Lhokseumawe, on Monday morning. Fourteen of them are children.

Local fishermen saved and pulled them to the mainland. Lhokseumawe Navy Commander Lt. Col. M. Dimmi Oumry told RRI that all refugees are sheltered and in healthy condition.

“Lhokseumawe Regional Leaders Communication Forum (Forkopimda) and Task Force have held a meeting [on the matter]. They will be moved to a shelter in Lhokseumawe to be dealt with by the task force and the UNHCR [United Nations Refugees Agency]," Dimmi said on Monday.

Junaidi Yahya, the head of Lhokseumawe Red Cross said currently the refugees are evacuated to a temporary shelter at the Lhokseumawe Work Training Hall.

Oktina, a high commissionaire for refugees affairs in UNHCR Lhokseumawe told AFP that the refugees said they were drifting on the ocean for at least 6 months. About 30 people died on the ship and they were thrown out to the sea. At least 800 Rohingya refugees have sailed from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh since early this year to seek shelter in other Southeast Asia countries. (RRI)