‘Support desperate Rohingya refugees following Indonesia’

UNB :
A UN expert on Thursday called for a regional emergency response to the growing number of desperate Rohingya refugees who continue to arrive in Indonesia in overcrowded vessels, as conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh continue to deteriorate, where food rations have been significantly cut.

“The crisis will only worsen without addressing its root cause – the illegal military junta of Myanmar,” warned Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

Over 1,000 Rohingya refugees arrived by boat in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh in the past week.

Andrews commended the government of Indonesia for offering safety, shelter and support to Rohingya refugees, a majority of whom are women and children in urgent need of nutrition and medical assistance.

The expert called on countries in the region to follow Indonesia’s lead by safely disembarking Rohingya refugees who may arrive by boat on their shores.

“The government of Indonesia should be congratulated for again upholding the rights of the Rohingya and facilitating disembarkation in line with domestic law,” the Special Rapporteur said. “But they cannot do it alone.

This is an emergency, and an emergency response is required, including a coordinated search and rescue operation to save the lives of those who may be stranded on overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.”

Andrews warned that the crisis will continue to worsen unless the root cause of the crisis is finally addressed.

“A resolution of the Rohingya refugee crisis is not possible so long as the junta prevents the formation of a government committed to human rights and citizenship for the Rohingya.

The international community must address the root causes of the crisis by depriving the junta of the weapons, money, and legitimacy it uses to perpetuate its oppression of the people of Myanmar,” he said.