A fishing community in Indonesia’s Aceh region is demanding protection from prosecution after three fishermen were sentenced to prison last year on immigration offenses linked to helping bring Rohingya ashore.
That court case, the first of its kind, has made fishermen in Indonesia’s westernmost province more hesitant about helping the persecuted minority from Myanmar as they make perilous boat journeys in search of work and safe haven.
In June, a court in North Aceh regency sentenced fishermen Abdul Aziz, Faisal Afrizal and Raja bin Husen to five years each in prison after finding them guilty of smuggling dozens of Rohingya into Indonesia in return for payments of 1.5 million rupiah (U.S. $104) each.
According to a copy of the verdict obtained by BenarNews, Faisal received 7 million rupiah ($487) from a smuggling ring and used some of the cash to rent a boat for picking up the Rohingya.
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https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/indonesia-rohingya-02022022161228.html