Bidi, Indonesia In December, Abdul Karim boarded a wooden boat from Bangladesh with his wife and two sons, with aspirations for a better life for the whole family.
But during the perilous sea voyage, which took nearly three weeks, Abdul's wife fell ill. She died just one day before their boat arrived in Indonesia.
“My wife dreamed of our children getting an education. She wanted them to be known as honorable,” Abdul said. “We only came here for a better future for our children.”
Abdul's family took refuge in Bangladesh, along with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Myanmar, due to the Myanmar military's brutal crackdown on the ethnic minority in 2017.
On January 24, the UNHCR said that at least 569 Rohingya people had died or gone missing at sea in 2023 while trying to reach Southeast Asia.
In recent months, more than 1,700 Rohingya refugees have left Bangladesh and arrived in northern Indonesia on 11 boats, fleeing again as camps in Bangladesh become increasingly crowded and dangerous.
“There was no peace. We couldn't sleep. That's why we came here, hoping we could move freely,” Abdul said.
But life is difficult in Indonesia too.
Abdul and his two sons, Saifullah and Muhammad, are part of a group of more than 200 Rohingya refugees sheltering outdoors on a beach in Pidi, in Indonesia's Aceh province.
The UNHCR, which is responsible for food, medicine and other expenses, has urged the local government to designate safe sites for refugees, as it has done in the past.
But local authorities told Al Jazeera that the situation is complicated by strong rejection from the local community.
“We are trying to find temporary shelters for them. But before we reach a location, locals have already gathered to protest. The government cannot impose this,” said Er and Hudi Adeswanto, acting mayor of Bidi.
Rohingya mother Noor Begum said she made the difficult journey from Bangladesh for the well-being of her child.
Her son has an undiagnosed medical condition. He cannot walk or talk.
“My son became like this after he turned three years old. The doctors asked me to take my son abroad and treat him there,” she said.
The boy had injuries all over his legs as a result of his body being dragged through the sand. And his mother is still no closer to understanding his disability.
“It is very difficult for me to lift it,” Noor Begum said. “I am alive in a way, in this place. But I cannot express my pain as a mother. My son is in pain.”
