Nowhere to go: The refugees on the boat off the coast of Bireuen have been stranded at sea for nearly a month. — Reuters
AUTHORITIES will help repair a stranded boat packed with over 100 Rohingya off its coast but will not allow its passengers to seek refuge there and will turn the vessel away, officials said.
Fishermen spotted the skiff on Sunday, adrift off the coast of Bireuen, a district on the western island of Sumatra, with around 120 men, women and children on board.“The Rohingya are not Indonesian citizens, we can’t just bring them in even as refugees. This is in line with government policy,” said Dian Suryansyah, a local navy official, yesterday.
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