Risking death at sea, Rohingya Muslims seek safety in Indonesia

FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees receive medical treatment at a temporary shelter in Pidie, Aceh province, Indonesia, December 26, 2022, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Joni Saputra/via REUTERS/File Photo

PIDIE, Indonesia (Reuters) - Crying with relief after a traumatic 40-day voyage to Indonesia in a leaky boat, Rohingya Muslim Fatimah bin Ismail held a mobile phone with shaky hands as she made a video call to relatives.

The 19-year-old was among 174 surviving Rohingya in the overloaded wooden fishing boat when it washed up on the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province this week. Around 200 had been on board, fleeing poverty and persecution, when it set off across the Indian Ocean from Bangladesh on Nov. 21.