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Myanmar: Rohingya Not Welcome – Article: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/11/world/asia/myanmar-rohingya-minority/
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/11/asia/rohingya-muslims-aceh-indonesia/ - Website Link Includes Video.
ROHINGYA PERSECUTED MUSLIM REFUGEES AMONG HUNDREDS
RESCUED & STILL STRANDED AT SEA OFF INDONESIA – WOMEN
Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country, considers the Rohingya as interlopers from neighboring Bangladesh, despite the fact that many have lived there for generations.
(CNN)Almost
900 men, women and children have been rescued from boats off the coast of Aceh,
Indonesia in just two days, according to local officials.
Some
of the Rohingya women said they had nothing to eat on the ships.
Fishermen
spotted the first group of 547 people early on Sunday morning, according to
Tegas, an officer at the North Aceh Immigration Office, where they're being
processed.
"They
(refugees) were drifting out at sea for a days, maybe even longer, without food
and water. Many of them are weak and depressed. There a number of very young
children too," said Tegas, who only uses one name.
The
rescued migrants are staying in several shelters while they undergo
immigration, health and security checks. The local government was providing
food and water, but Tegas said shelters were becoming overcrowded and supplies
were being stretched thin.
"We're
doing the best we can but we have limited supplies too and this is creating
tension among them," he said.
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Who are the Rohingyas?
§ Rohingyas are a
distinct, Muslim ethnic group mainly living in Myanmar, which is also known as
Burma
§ Thought to be
descended from Muslim traders who settled there more than 1,000 years ago
§ Also live in
Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
§ In Myanmar, they are
regularly persecuted - subjected to forced labour, have no land rights, and are
heavily restricted
§ In Bangladesh many
are also desperately poor, with no documents or job prospect
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Found at Sea
The
first group of migrants was found traveling in six boats off the
Aceh coast, near the city of Lhokseumawe, said Budiawan, the head of the Aceh
Search and Rescue Agency.
He
said another boat carrying around 400 people was spotted around 2 a.m. local
time on Monday, further north along the coast. "We sent teams there to
help evacuate the people off the boat," Budiawan said. He said it wasn't
clear where they were heading.
The
International Organization for Migration has sent staff to Aceh to care for the
migrants and learn where they came from and why.
"It
is a mixed group Rohingya and Bangladeshi as far as we can tell now. We have
staff with relevant language skills in the visiting IOM group, so will
hopefully get better information in the coming hours," said Steve
Hamilton, IOM Deputy Chief of Mission in Indonesia.
Rohingya
have been fleeing Myanmar, also know as Burma, in the thousands, amid what's
been described as the ethnic cleansing of the minority Muslims from the
country.
Myanmar,
a majority Buddhist country, considers the Rohingya as interlopers from neighboring
Bangladesh, despite the fact that many have lived there for generations.
Tegas,
of the immigration office, told CNN that the crews running the refugee boats
had not been identified. The vessels were now in the custody of the Indonesian
Navy, pending further investigation.