Indonesia president suspects human trafficking behind increased Rohingya arrivals

Ethnic Rohingya disembarking from their boat upon landing on a beach in Ulee Madon, North Aceh, Indonesia, on Nov. 16, 2023. - AP

JAKARTA: Indonesia strongly suspects human trafficking is behind a recent increase in arrivals of Rohingya Muslims on its territory, its president said on Friday (Dec 8), promising to work with international groups to deal with the issue.

More than 1,200 Rohingya people, a persecuted minority from Myanmar, have landed ashore in Indonesia since November, according to the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) in Indonesia, prompting concern among local communities about the scale of the exodus this year.