Krueng Geukuh, Indonesia: More than 100 Rohingya refugees adraved on the ship sank on the west coast of Indonesia were allowed to get down early on Friday, after the authorities put aside international pressure to give them protection.
In a video seen by the Reuters news agency, the group, which consists of especially women and children, leaves a boat with heavy rain and takes a bus, while the authorities spray it with disinfectants.
The refugees have been packed into a wooden boat, which seems to have an emergency screen.
Oktina Hafanti, an official at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters that 105 refugees, including 50 women and 47 children, would be stored in quarantine for 10 to 14 days and undergoing health checks.
They will be sent to shelters in Indonesian cities in Medan and Surabaya, said the local mayor of Suaya Yahya.
The Rohingya group, who also included several pregnant women, has been found by fishermen off the coast of Aceh Province on Sunday after spending 28 days at sea.
The authorities initially agreed to provide humanitarian assistance before planning to turn on the ship, but changed the decision after a warning about the condition of the ship and calling from UNHCR and groups such as international boats.
A fisherman who had approached the boat while at sea said the ship suffered engine damage and leaked, and was at risk of sinking.
He also said some refugees had indicated that they needed food.
Usman Hamid, Executive Director for Chapter Indonesia Amnesty International, said the government had reacted late but appreciated that the authorities had listened to Aceh’s fishermen and received refugees.
The ship was pulled by the Indonesian Navy ship on Thursday to the beach.
Indonesia is not a signing of the United Nations Convention in 1951 on refugees and the dominant is seen as a transit country for those who seek asylum to third countries.
Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar for years sailed to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between November and April when the sea was calm.
Hundreds of them came to Aceh at intervals in recent years.
Many have been rejected, sometimes after spending months in the sea.