According to media reports, a large group of young individuals forcefully entered a basement where numerous Rohingya refugees were seeking shelter.

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim group who have escaped numerous instances of mistreatment in Myanmar, which is primarily a Buddhist nation.

Approximately 1 million people currently reside in camps in Bangladesh, and over 1,000 individuals have recently migrated to Indonesia by boat.

Call for protection

The UNHCR released a statement expressing great concern over a violent attack on a refugee shelter housing families in need.

According to the agency, a group of people forcefully bypassed a barricade set up by law enforcement and loaded 137 refugees onto two trucks, relocating them to a different area within the city. This event has caused severe distress and emotional harm to the refugees involved.

The statement expressed concern for the well-being of refugees and urged local law enforcement to take immediate action to safeguard both vulnerable individuals and humanitarian workers.

Anti-refugee campaign

The assault was not a singular occurrence, but rather a deliberate internet campaign of false information, misleading content, and discriminatory language aimed at refugees. It was also an effort to discredit Indonesia’s efforts to rescue vulnerable individuals in dire situations at sea.

The UNHCR requested that the general public be mindful of a planned and organized social media campaign that is targeting authorities, local communities, refugees, and humanitarian workers, promoting hate and endangering lives.

It is advised for individuals to verify information shared on the internet, as a significant portion of it is fabricated or distorted. This includes AI-generated images and hateful language disseminated by automated accounts.

Source: news.un.org