Six Rohingya drown off Indonesia's Aceh coast

At least six Rohingya asylum seekers have died at sea as a group of 96 landed on the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province, authorities say.

"Preliminary information suggests the victims drowned while trying to reach land," East Aceh police chief Nova Suryandaru said.

The group have joined a growing number of Rohingya fleeing the harsh conditions in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, after they escaped violence and alleged genocide in their home country Myanmar.

Acute funding shortfalls has resulted in food insecurity in the camps, as well as shortcomings in healthcare and education, Amnesty International says.

Rohingya Muslims are one of the world's most persecuted minorities.

They have faced decades of discrimination and violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, culminating in a brutal military crackdown in 2017 that forced more than 740,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar was hit with a military coup in February 2021 and is now racked with criminal networks and violence.

Earlier this week, United Nations special envoy Julie Bishop, Australia's former foreign minister, warned the nation risks becoming a "forgotten crisis".

Amnesty International warns there are increasing deadly attacks against Rohingya people in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The rights group likens the conditions faced by Rohingya people in Rakhine state to apartheid - "a dehumanising system of state-sponsored discrimination and racial segregation".

Aceh, a province with a strong Islamic identity and a history of its own struggle for independence, has often shown compassion for the plight of the Rohingya.

Over the years, the province has welcomed numerous Rohingya, providing them with shelter and humanitarian aid.

However, the influx of refugees also presents challenges for the province, which itself has faced economic and social difficulties.

The Indonesian government has called for greater international cooperation to address the Rohingya crisis and to find a lasting solution to the conflict in Myanmar.