Rohingya Refugees Attack in Aceh; UNHCR Urges Authorities for Better Protection
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28 December 2023 15:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bangkok - The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, regretted the recent attack against Rohingya refugees in Aceh, Indonesia, as hundreds of youngsters stormed a building basement on Wednesday, Dec. 27, where refugees were sheltered.
In a statement received by Tempo on Thursday, Dec. 28, UNHCR said that it was "deeply disturbed to see a mob attack on a site sheltering vulnerable refugee families, the majority being children and women, in Banda Aceh City."
The mob broke a police cordon forcibly put 137 refugees on two trucks, and moved them to another location in Banda Aceh, it stated. The incident has left refugees shocked and traumatized.
"UNHCR remains deeply worried about the safety of refugees," it stated on Thursday, calling on local law enforcement authorities for urgent action to ensure the protection of all desperate individuals and humanitarian staff.
The attack on refugees was not an isolated act but the result of a coordinated online campaign of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech against refugees and an attempt to malign Indonesia’s efforts to save desperate lives in distress at sea.
UNHCR reminds everyone that desperate refugee children, women, and men seeking shelter in Indonesia are victims of persecution and conflict, and are survivors of deadly sea journeys. Indonesia – with its longstanding humanitarian tradition – has helped save these desperate people who would have otherwise died at the sea – like hundreds of others.
The UN Refugee Agency is also alerting the general public to be aware of the coordinated and well-choreographed online campaign on social media platforms, attacking authorities, local communities, refugees, and humanitarian workers alike, inciting hate and putting lives in danger.
UNHCR appeals to the public in Indonesia to cross-check information posted online, much of it false or twisted, with AI-generated images and hate speech being sent from bot accounts.
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