More than a hundred Rohingya immigrants are staying in emergency tents in Bireuen district, Aceh province, after getting stranded on the district’s coast on March 6, 2022.

“The Rohingya immigrants are being sheltered at emergency tents in Alue Buya Pase village, Jangka sub-district, Bireuen district,” assistant I to the secretary of the Bireuen district administration, Mulyadi, said on Wednesday.

At least 114 Rohingya immigrants were stranded in Kuala Muara Raja, Kuala sub-district, Bireuen district, Aceh, on Sunday (March 6, 2022) at 2 a.m. local time.

Mulyadi said the Bireuen district administration has held an inter-sectoral coordination meeting with the relevant parties. The meeting agreed to relocate the immigrants to Lhokseumawe, Aceh.

While in Lhokseumawe, the immigrants will stay at the job training center where dozens of Rohingya immigrants were sheltered some time ago.

However, the immigrants cannot be removed from Bireuen to Lhokseumawe currently as the Bireuen district administration is still awaiting a recommendation from the Lhokseumawe city government.

“Up till now we have not received a permit from the Lhokseumawe city government to remove the Rohingya immigrants,” Mulyadi informed.

At present, the Bireuen district government can only provide humanitarian assistance to the immigrants since the district has no special place to accommodate them, he said.

“The Lhokseumawe city government has sufficient places to temporarily accommodate more than a hundred boat people. Whether they will be removed to outside Aceh or not depends on the next condition,” he added.

Source: Antara News