More Rohingya refugees arrive in Indonesia despite rejection from locals

Nearly 150 Rohingya refugees, mostly hungry and weak women and children, have reached a beach in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province after weeks at sea, officials said Sunday.

The arrivals came after the military said last week its navy vessel had driven away a boat carrying Rohingya in waters further north off Sumatra, as the persecuted ethnic minority faces growing hostility and rejection in Indonesia.

More than 1,500 Rohingya have landed in Indonesia since November, according to data from the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNCHR).

About 740,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority group were resettled in Bangladesh after fleeing their homes in Myanmar to escape a brutal counterinsurgency campaign by security forces.