Meulaboh - Coinciding with the Eid holiday, seven Rohingya refugees escaped from the temporary shelter at the West Aceh Regent's Office Complex, Aceh Province, Saturday (13/4/2024).
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Aceh Coordinator, Faisal, confirmed the escape of the Rohingya immigrants.
"Yes, it is true, there are seven Rohingya refugees who escaped from the shelter, we are currently checking every Rohingya shelter in Aceh," said Faisal, Sunday (14/4/2024).
The seven refugees were a woman (W) and six men (L). They escaped from the shelter without any belongings, except for the identity bracelet given by UNHCR.
"We are currently gathering information on where they fled to, we are still looking for more information," said Faisal.
The seven Rohingya refugees who fled from the shelter include Belgum Surya (22/W) who fled on the night of the first Eid.
Then, Ullah Henaya (36/L), Amanullah (29/L), Uddin Joshim (27/L), Khalek Anwar (14/L) disappeared from the shelter on the second Eid. Meanwhile, Anisu Rahman (18/L) and Mohammed Shah (24/L) fled on the fourth Eid.
According to Faisal, the Rohingyas who fled from the refugee camps were usually looking for transit to reach their final destination.
"Like in general, most of them transit temporarily in Aceh, because their final destination may not be Aceh. So, they will naturally leave the camp in an effort to reach their final destination, one of which is to gather with family elsewhere," he explained.
Meanwhile, Assistant I of West Aceh Regency, Samsul Alam, confirmed that there were Rohingya people who fled from the shelter and his party is currently digging for more information.
"Yes, we are checking, there are 13 officers who guard the shelter every night, 8 of them are Satpol PP, 2 from the Indonesian Red Cross, 1 from Immigration, and 2 from one of the units," he explained. (mc04/InfoPublik)