JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia will allow a boat packed with Rohingya refugees that had become stranded off its coast to dock in the Southeast Asian country, its security ministry said on Wednesday, after calls from aid organizations to allow the vessel to seek refuge. Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar have for years sailed to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between November and April when the seas are calm. The passengers on the boat were mostly women and children, an Indonesian official said. Aditya Setiawan / ReutersThe stranded boat had been at risk of sinking within days, two fishermen told Reuters on Wednesday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Amnesty International had called on the Indonesian government to allow the boat to seek refuge.

Source: Ethiopian News December 30, 2021 19:01 UTC