Indonesian police and fishermen start patrols to stop Rohingya boats

Rohingya people have a chat at an immigration building in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province on Saturday, November 25, 2023. - AFP

LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AFP): Indonesian police and fishermen said Saturday they have begun patrolling parts of the country's westernmost province to prevent Rohingya refugees from landing on its shores, after nearly 1,100 members of the persecuted Myanmar minority arrived this month.

Thousands from the mostly Muslim minority risk their lives each year making sea journeys from refugee camps in Bangladesh, often in flimsy boats, to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.