More than 500 Rohingya refugees land in Indonesia

Rohingya Muslims rest, as they arrive in Kulee village, Pidie regency, Aceh province on Nov19, 2023. - Reuters

BIREUEN, Indonesia: Three boats filled with more than 500 Rohingya refugees landed in Indonesia's westernmost province on Sunday (Nov 19), a UN agency said, in one of the biggest arrivals since Myanmar launched a military crackdown on the minority group in 2017.

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.