Banda Aceh (ANTARA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative for Indonesia has lauded Indonesia for generously providing shelter to Rohingya refugees in Aceh Province.

In Banda Aceh on Wednesday, Indonesian UNHCR's Senior Communications Assistant Muhammad Yanuar Farhanditya praised the regional government and Aceh residents in general for their generosity in providing support to refugees who made landfall in Aceh in November last year.

He also informed that as many as 190 Rohingya refugees were transferred from Aceh to Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Tuesday (April 4) evening. The refugees were taken to Pekanbaru on buses via Medan, North Sumatra Province.

Of the 190 refugees, 140 had been living at a temporary shelter in Pidie Regency, and the remaining 50 were residing in Lhokseumawe City.

"They are expected to arrive in Pekanbaru on April 6, 2023. We (UNHCR) would also wish to thank the government of Pekanbaru city for accepting the refugees to take shelter in the city" Farhanditya said.

However, as many as 307 refugees still remain in Aceh, he noted.

The UNHCR will continue to maintain coordination with the local authorities and other partners to ensure the fulfillment of the refugees' needs and rights, he affirmed.

Meanwhile, the remaining refugees in Aceh are currently taking shelter at two separate locations. As many as 174 are living in a temporary shelter set up by the Office of Social Affairs of Aceh in Ladong Village and 133 in Mina Raya Building, Pidie District.







Translator: Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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