Bangladesh and Indonesia Become Sanctuaries for Rohingya Refugees

Rohingya refugees, a Muslim minority ethnic group from Myanmar, continue to seek asylum and refuge in several countries in 2023.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a total of 1,094,198 Rohingya refugees and other asylum seekers from Myanmar without citizenship were recorded as of September 2023.

The largest number of Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh, with 965,467 individuals, or 88.2% of the total Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar.

Malaysia is second, hosting 105,762 individuals (9.7%), followed by India with 22,110 (2%).

Indonesia hosts the fewest Rohingya refugees, with only 859 individuals (0.1%).

The UNHCR notes that these figures represent individuals without citizenship from Myanmar, simultaneously counted among Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers. This data is regularly updated, most recently on September 30, 2023.

Rohingya refugees are a Muslim minority group not recognized in Myanmar, where the majority of the population is Buddhist. The Myanmar government excluded them from the 2014 census and considers Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The UNHCR explains that the humanitarian situation worsened in February 2021 due to escalating conflict and political upheaval in the country.

UN sources even report that 1.5 million people became internally displaced within Myanmar by November 1, 2022, with the majority located in the Northwest (Rakhine State) and Southeast, as well as in Kachin State in the Northeast.

Rejected in Aceh

According to *Detik Sumut*, the fate of Rohingya refugees who landed in Balohan Village, Sabang, Aceh, remains uncertain. Sabang residents, who rejected their arrival, forcibly dismantled the Rohingya refugees' tents and moved the refugees across the street to the Sabang Mayor's office.

The reason given was residents' concerns for their safety, citing negative experiences from previous Rohingya refugee arrivals.

"Because of many bad experiences that have happened and been experienced by the community," said the Acting Head of Balohan Village, Rusli, as reported on Tuesday (December 5, 2023).

Previously, 139 Rohingya immigrants landed in Sabang in the early hours of Saturday, December 2, 2023. These hundreds of refugees were the first wave to land in Aceh this December.

Other Rohingya refugees also landed in November 2023, numbering around 1,000. They also faced rejection from the local residents.

(See also: [Afghanistan to Myanmar: These are the countries of origin of the most refugees in Indonesia](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2023/11/20/afghanistan-hingga-myanmar-ini-negara-asal-pengungsi-terbanyak-di-ri))