North Aceh – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has joined coordinated efforts to provide wide ranging supports to the 99 Rohingya rescued by local fisherman and eventually brought to shore at Seunedon beach in North Aceh, Indonesia yesterday (25-06).

Some reports indicate that the group – 49 women, 33 children and 17 men – who had spent months stranded at sea disembarked after the community’s agreement to accept the arrivals due to their concern for the welfare of the children aboard.

Speaking to IOM staff via an interpreter, this morning (26-06), a spokesperson from the group said they were at sea for 4 months and 10 days, having set off from Balu Khali -1 camp, in Bangladesh. He said they were all originally from Maungdaw and Buthidaung in Rakhine state, Myanmar.

He added that they were 100 in total when they left Bangladesh but that one woman had died leaving behind two children. Three children (two of them siblings) and a 10-year-old girl were unaccompanied. The group also included one pregnant woman.

The spokesperson said, “We set off on foot, through the hills to Shamlapur [Cox’s Bazar] and from where we took small boats that brought us to a bigger boat at sea. The captain of the big boat was a man from Myanmar. Our original destination was supposed to be Malaysia, where we were supposed to pay 10,000 Ringgit each upon arrival.”

The spokesperson said the boat was arranged by another ‘Rohingya who lived abroad’.

“Rapid tests for COVID19 conducted last night reveal that all are clear. This is good news as we are very mindful, of course, of community concerns over public health issues and we are providing ongoing support to the authorities through our medical teams alongside UNHCR’s registration team,” Louis Hoffmann, IOM Chief of Mission in Indonesia.

He added that IOM Indonesia’s advance team which included medical (nurse, psycho-social support) and operational staff were providing assistance with registration and initial assessment to the group, and also provided some much-needed water and hygienic packages.

“We have also maintained regular contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Refugee Task Force in Jakarta,” Hoffmann added.

For more information, please contact Patrik Shirak, at IOM Indonesia, Tel: +622157951275, Email:pshirak@iom.int or Itayi Viriri at IOM’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Tel: +63 917 890 8785, Email: iviriri@iom.int.