Indonesian coastguard do rescue drills to practice saving Rohingya refugees
- 4 years ago
Coastguard operators in western Indonesia were filmed training for maritime rescue in the Indian Ocean, in part to address a migrant crisis in nearby Myanmar.
Filmed on October 17 off Aceh province at the meeting of the Indian Ocean with the Bay of Bengal, which borders a substantial portion of the coastline of Myanmar.
The National Search and Rescue Agency, also known as Basarnas, were reportedly holding these drills to save Rohingya people fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
Khairul Anwar, a senior official in the area shown being interviewed, commented:
"[The area] is a trajectory for refugees who want to enter or pass through Indonesian territory, to enter another country.
"...we know that there is still conflict in Myanmar, so ethnic Rohingya are still refugees. They have only two objectives, Indonesia or Malaysia. As a result this Aceh region is very important to deal with the problem of foreign refugees."
Filmed on October 17 off Aceh province at the meeting of the Indian Ocean with the Bay of Bengal, which borders a substantial portion of the coastline of Myanmar.
The National Search and Rescue Agency, also known as Basarnas, were reportedly holding these drills to save Rohingya people fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
Khairul Anwar, a senior official in the area shown being interviewed, commented:
"[The area] is a trajectory for refugees who want to enter or pass through Indonesian territory, to enter another country.
"...we know that there is still conflict in Myanmar, so ethnic Rohingya are still refugees. They have only two objectives, Indonesia or Malaysia. As a result this Aceh region is very important to deal with the problem of foreign refugees."