Rohingya crisis: More than 260 refugees arrive in Indonesia

More than 260 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, arrived in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh after floating at sea for days, an official said yesterday.

The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingyas are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

An East Aceh official, Iskandar -- who like many Indonesians goes by one name -- said this latest group of refugees arrived on a beach in the region's town of West Peureulak on Sunday night around 10:25 pm local time (1525 GMT Sunday).

"There are 264 of them -- 117 men and 147 women," Iskandar told AFP yesterday, adding that there were around 30 children in the group.

He said they had initially been on two boats, one of which had sunk off the coast while the second managed to move closer to shore.

They could then walk to the shore when the tide was low, he said.

"They told me they were rejected in Malaysia," Iskandar said, adding that the local government has not decided where to move the Rohingya refugees.

Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia tend to follow a cyclical pattern, slowing during the stormy months and picking back up when sea conditions calm down.

In November, more than 100 refugees were rescued after their boat sank off the coast of East Aceh.

In October, 152 Rohingya refugees were finally brought ashore after being anchored for days off the coast of South Aceh district while officials decided whether to let them land.

Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighbouring countries to share the burden and resettle the Rohingyas who arrive on its shores.

Many Acehnese, who themselves have memories of decades of bloody conflict, are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Muslims.

But others say their patience has been tested, claiming the Rohingyas consume scarce resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals.