By Ainur Romah
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Indonesian fisherman have rescued almost 800 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in three overcrowded boats, according to a local police officer.
The head of police in the coastal town of Kuala Langsa told Anadolu Agency on Friday that the boats containing 420 people from Bangladesh and 370 from Myanmar were found floating 20 nautical miles from the coast
AKBP Sunarya Sik added that they had been spotted by a fisherman off the east coast of Aceh late Thursday, but he had phoned local police as he could not could not accommodate them all on his boat.
"He asked other fishermen to help him to evacuate migrants. Finally, four other boat joined the rescue," Sik said.
He said that some had said that they had previously entered Malaysia water, only to be turned away by Malaysian security officials.
"Now, the 790 immigrants are accommodated in a temporary shelter in the port of Kuala Langsa," he added.
Boats have been attempting to beach in Malaysia or Indonesia, after Thailand -- their usual destination -- launched a crackdown on human smuggling at the beginning of the month.
But in the past few days, both Malaysia and Indonesia are reported to have stopped vessels from landing.
Indonesia has claimed, however, that it did not tow a boat carrying Bangladeshi and Myanmar migrants from its waters at the weekend, saying that some of the passengers asked not to be taken ashore as they only wanted to go to Malaysia.
"The refugees were asking for food assistance, clean water, and fuel. Once everything was given, they [the boats] split up because they said they were not going to Indonesia," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told reporters Thursday.
The deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch has accused Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia of playing games with the boats and putting the lives of those on board at risk.
Despite the accusations, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir has underlined that the country has a responsibility to continue to help the hundreds of migrants who are stranded in its northwest out of respect for their human rights.
"What we will do is give them shelter and food. What we will not do is put them back on a boat and push them into the sea," he said.
On May 10, a boat carrying nearly 600 migrants landed in Aceh.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UNHCR have since been recording their identities.
UNHCR information officer Mitra Salima Suryono told AA that some migrants have identity cards issued by the Myanmar government, while other hold refugee cards issued by UNHCR.
She said that the process may lead to many of the migrants being granted refugee status, and moved to a third country which could give them political asylum.
