'Rapes and beatings' spark chaos in Indonesian refugee camp as 200 Rohingya try to flee
Tensions have been rising in the camps, with refugees keen to leave for Malaysia
More than 200 ethnic Rohingya stormed out of an Indonesian encampment on Tuesday as tensions erupted following alleged rapes and beatings by locals at the site where members of Myanmar’s long-persecuted minority have been held since arriving four months ago by boat.
The incident occurred after authorities forced one of the females to go to a hospital. Other Rohingya did not want her to leave, fearing she could be abused more if separated from the group, said Steve Hamilton, deputy chief of mission at the International Organisation for Migration, who was at the scene.
That “caused some panic and a brief chaotic response, with Rohingya trying to stop the ambulance,” he said.
Four females and six males, aged 14 to 28, said they were attempting to flee the camp on Monday night because they wanted to go to neighbouring Malaysia, where a large community of Muslim Rohingya exists, Hamilton said.
They alleged they were stopped not far from the camp by a group of Indonesian men with masks and taken into the woods, where they were beaten and three of the females were raped, including a 14-year-old.
“We very much regret this incident and will definitely thoroughly investigate it,” said Amir Hamzah, a spokesman for the district government in North Aceh. He said the females were traumatised and wanted to seek medical attention, but were stopped when Rohingya men in the camp insisted they stay.