Rohingya crisis: almost 300 refugees land in Indonesia after a few months at sea – BBC News

Nearly 300 Rohingya refugees have landed in Indonesia, and authorities have said they have been at sea for about six months. Police said fishermen saw a wooden boat carrying the Rohingya a few kilometers off the coast of the northern Sumatra city of Lhokseumawe. There were 297 people in the boat, including 14 children, police said. The Rohingya have been fleeing persecution in Myanmar for years because of other nations in Southeast Asia. Coming to Indonesia was the biggest seen since 2015, said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, a non-profit group focused on the Rohingya crisis. The refugees, who left southern Bangladesh in late March or early April, said they were on their way to Malaysia, but both Malaysian and Thai authorities withdrew due to coronavirus restrictions. #BBCOS #BBCoutsideSource Please subscribe HERE .

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