81 Rohingya refugees, whose boat had landed safely on the East Aceh coast of Indonesia on 5th June, have been moved to a refugee accommodation centre (Camps) in Medan that’s located further inland.
Dwi Prafitria, UNHCR spokesperson in Jakarta, told IANS by email that the Rohingya refugees were initially being sheltered in Pulau Idaman and they remained there until Wednesday.
“They had been provided food and medical assistance by the local authorities as the initial response. UNHCR’s team was present since Saturday (June5) and was coordinating the response,” Prafitria said.
“Vitamin B was distributed to all the refugees to treat malnutrition and prevent possible Beriberi, a serious disease resulting from a vitamin deficiency. They also received food, drinking water, and health assistance from multiple humanitarian organizations,” she said.
All the Rohingya refugees have tested Covid negative and have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccination camp was organized by the East Aceh government and was assisted by UNHCR and IOM.
All 81 Rohingya refugees left Bangladesh on 11th February in a group of 90. Within a week, their boat suffered a technical malfunction after which they were rescued by the Indian coast guards.
9 of the refugees died after drinking seawater and due to malnutrition before they were fed and cared for by the Indian coast guards on the Andaman Islands.
After Bangladesh refused to take them, the Indian coast guards fixed their boats and allowed them to sail to Southeast Asia.
