UN issues call to rescue hundreds of Rohingya adrift at sea

The United Nations called Saturday for nations to rescue hundreds of Rohingya it said were trapped onboard two unseaworthy vessels adrift in the Andaman Sea.

Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, risk their lives each year in long, expensive sea journeys -- often in boats in poor condition -- trying to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Saturday called on nearby countries "to swiftly deploy their full search and rescue capacities in response to reported vessels in distress with hundreds of Rohingya at risk of perishing".

The two overcrowded boats carrying about 400 passengers had experienced engine failures, and people were now "drifting in unseaworthy vessels in the Andaman Sea", the agency said, citing "various sources".

Food and water may be running out, it said, adding "there is a significant risk of fatalities in the coming days if people are not rescued and disembarked to safety".

The vessels' precise location is unknown and it is unclear when, or exactly from where, they departed.

Refugee camps in Bangladesh are home to about one million Rohingya, many of whom fled neighbouring Myanmar after a 2017 military crackdown.

But the conditions of the overcrowded camps have forced many to flee again.

The UNHCR's call comes during a spike in journeys to Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh -- a voyage of about 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles) -- with more than 1,000 arrivals in the biggest such wave since the 2017 crackdown.

More than 3,500 Rohingya are believed to have attempted risky journeys to Southeast Asian countries in 2022, according to UNHCR.

Nearly 350 Rohingya died or went missing last year while attempting hazardous sea crossings, the agency has estimated.

More than 100 Rohingya refugees land in Indonesia

More than 100 Rohingya refugees including women and children landed in Indonesia's westernmost province on Saturday, officials said, but locals were threatening to push them back to sea.

The arrival comes after more than 1,000 Rohingya refugees landed in Aceh last month, the biggest wave of Rohingya refugee arrivals in Indonesia since 2015, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

The mostly Muslim Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys, often in flimsy boats, to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

"When I arrived, the Rohingya refugees were already on the beach," Dofa Fadhli, the head of Ie Meulee village where the latest group of Rohingya landed, told AFP.

"The total of the refugees are 139 people. There were children, women and adult men. We have not counted in detail. {We are) waiting for other related parties," he said, adding the boat reached on the shores of the village in Aceh Province around 0230 am local time (1930 GMT Friday).

More than half a dozen boats have arrived in Aceh since November 14, and monitors say more are on their way, despite some locals turning arriving boats back to sea and stepping up patrols on the coast.

Fadhli said the latest refugees would be pushed back to sea if they were not relocated but would give them aid in the meantime.

"We, the residents of Ie Meulee, strongly reject the arrival of the Rohingya refugees," he said.

"If within the time limit that we have given until this afternoon, there is no action, then we will return the Rohingya refugees back to their boat."

UNHCR protection associate Faisal Rahman confirmed more than 100 refugees had landed in Sabang and said officials were on their way to the island.

"We will coordinate the situation with the local government," he said.

Images and footage seen by AFP showed the refugees sitting in rows on a beach, while security forces and locals could be seen standing around the group.

More than 3,500 Rohingya are believed to have attempted the risky journey to Southeast Asian countries in 2022, according to UNHCR.

Nearly 350 Rohingya died or went missing last year while attempting hazardous sea crossings, the agency has estimated.