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Rohingya boat capsizes off coast of Indonesia – at least 50 feared dead
Dozens of Rohingya refugees are feared to have drowned after a wooden boat with an estimated 150 people on board capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province.
The boat is thought to have run into trouble some 19km (12 miles) from the beach of Kuala Bubon on the west coast of Aceh after it hit rough seas on Wednesday morning.
Six people – four women and two men – were rescued from the boat by Acehnese fishermen and taken to a shelter, where they were able to speak to Faisal Rahman, a representative from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Rahman said the survivors’ testimony suggested many had drowned. “We can’t confirm the exact number of casualties, but according to information from the six who were rescued, there are many dead,” he told Al Jazeera. “They assume about 50 people died when the boat capsized.”
It is thought that most of those presumed to have died were women and children who were unable to swim, and carried out to sea by the currents. Amateur footage shot by local fishermen at the scene, which has been widely shared on Indonesian social media, showed survivors standing on the upturned hull. They all appeared to be male.
Emaciated and dressed in shorts, they waved at the fishermen and begged to be rescued.
Amiruddin, a fishing community leader in the Aceh Barat district where Kuala Bubon is located, said a search and rescue boat from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency had been dispatched on Wednesday.
“Last night, the National Search and Rescue Agency travelled to the location but there has been no news so far as to whether they have found the Rohingya boat or not,” he said.
It is unclear why the boat sank, although wooden boats carrying refugees from the refugee camps in Bangladesh are often in poor condition and overcrowded, with only basic facilities on board.
In August 2023, 17 Rohingya refugees died when their boat sank in the Bay of Bengal.
UNHCR’s Rahman said the search for the Rohingya boat was continuing.
“The search last night did not yield any results, and the Search and Rescue Agency will continue the search this morning,” he told Al Jazeera. “Last night, they were unable to find their exact location.”
However, Azharul Husna, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS Aceh) questioned why a rescue boat needed to be sent from Banda Aceh, some 223km (138 miles) away from Kuala Bubon, when the rescue agency had other boats in the vicinity.
Husna said rescuing the refugees as soon as possible was crucial and that it was the responsibility of the Indonesian authorities.
“Humanity cannot wait and this is a life or death situation,” she said. “According to the Indonesian presidential decree of 2016, refugees who are found at sea have to be rescued. We hope this rescue is carried out immediately out of respect for human rights.” She also added that residents of Kuala Bubon had gone to the town’s port overnight, and called for the refugees to be refused the right to land.
Some held banners calling for a “boycott” of the Rohingya, who are fleeing decades of persecution in their native Myanmar that exploded into a brutal military crackdown in western Rakhine state in 2017.
Some one million Rohingya have been living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh ever since, while the situation in Myanmar has deteriorated further since the February 2021 military coup, prompting many refugees to seek safety elsewhere.
In recent years, however, people in Aceh have become increasingly resistant to the Rohingya who are usually trying to reach Malaysia, which had 108,500 registered Rohingya refugees at the end of February, according to the UNHCR.
In December last year, the Indonesian navy pushed back a boat carrying Rohingya refugees as it approached the coast of Aceh, amid resentment among residents at a perceived sudden increase in boat arrivals.
Also in December, a mob of students stormed the basement of a local community hall in Banda Aceh where about 137 Rohingya were taking shelter, and called for the group to be deported.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees but was once considered to be more sympathetic to the Rohingya, compared with other countries in the region such as Malaysia or Thailand, where authorities have prevented boats from landing in previous years.
However, in recent years, this sympathy appears to have evaporated, with some Acehnese residents claiming, with little evidence, that the Rohingya receive more resources from aid agencies than residents and engage in criminal activity while in Indonesia. Similar claims have been made by some in Malaysia, also without evidence.
(Aljazeera)
Football’s Asian Cup, hosted by Saudi Arabia, could be moved back a year to 2028 following a series of attacks on the country by Yemen’s Houthis.
The continental tournament will be rescheduled “if we need to” but the organisers are in “no hurry” to make a decision, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said on Thursday.
The 2027 Asian Cup is supposed to kick off on January 7 in the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and al-Khobar.
The kingdom has in recent days come under sustained attack in a dramatic escalation from the Houthis.
“We can wait until the end of November,” Al Khalifa told reporters in Zurich on Wednesday about a decision on the fate of the Asian Cup.
“Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens,” he added.
“If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to.
“But at the moment we are monitoring the situation and everything is on schedule.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr saw their Asian Champions League match delayed by an hour on Monday after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh.
Three matches in Saudi domestic football, including one involving Al-Nassr, were postponed this week.
(Aljazeera)
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Physical development must be matched by the enrichment of people’s inner lives through aesthetics and culture – PM
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that while a country develops its roads, buildings and economy, the inner lives of its people must also be enriched through aesthetics, culture and creativity. Development cannot be measured solely by improvements in physical resources, and the empathy and the appreciation of the arts is a key aspiration of the new era of renaissance.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while inaugurating the ’Aluth Wessa’ Cultural Festival and Exhibition, organised jointly by the Kandy District Secretariat, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Kandyan Cultural Center on 15 October at the Kandy District Secretariat.
During the event, the Prime Minister also presented awards to artists from the Kandy District in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the arts.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister further stated: “Kandy is a place where we can best experience the value of our country’s historical, artistic and cultural heritage. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the wood carvings of Embekka, the murals of Degaldoruwa, the Kandyan dance tradition, and the contributions of renowned artists such as Pani Bharath, Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy and Minnette de Silva have helped shape a distinctive cultural identity unique to Kandy.
During the recent disaster, when the people of Kandy faced immense difficulties, people from districts such as Galle, Matara and Kalutara voluntarily came forward to extend tremendous support. Their empathy and commitment deserve our sincere appreciation. Following the disaster, several initiatives are already progressing rapidly to help Kandy recover and rebuild. These include restoring the Upcountry railway line, repairing damaged houses and rehabilitating historic temples that were destroyed through the Central Cultural Fund. Through our education reforms, we aspire to nurture a generation that goes beyond professional knowledge and skills, developing artistic sensitivity alongside human values and compassion.”
The event was attended by the Most Venerable Naramapanawe Ananda Thero, Anunayake of the Asgiri Chapter of the Siyamopali Maha Nikaya and Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, along with members of the Maha Sangha and other religious leaders. Also present were Central Province Governor Dr. Suranga Fernando, Members of Parliament Jagath Manuwarana, Thanura Dissanayake, Thushari Jayasinghe and E. M. Basnayake; the Mayor and local councillors, Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatta, Divisional Secretaries, public officials, artists, parents, and children.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
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Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 14 OCTOBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 14 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Due to a low-level atmospheric disturbance persisting in the Bay of Bengal near Sri Lanka, cloudy skies and increased rainfall are expected to continue over the island.
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the early hours of the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western provinces. Showers or thundershowers will occur in other parts of the island after 1.00 p.m.
Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura district while fairly heavy showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in other areas of the island.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed by a year amid Houthi attacks
Houthi missile attack on Yemeni presidential palace kills five, minister says
Physical development must be matched by the enrichment of people’s inner lives through aesthetics and culture – PM
Review of the operations of the 1818 Hotline introduced to report drug-related information
Showers in the Western, Southern, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North-Western and Northern provinces and in the Anuradhapura District
SJB: Govt. trying to reappoint Jayakody, who resigned from Cabinet amidst coal scam
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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