Dhaka: Hatemon Nesa left a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh in late November in search of a better life for her young daughters. She boarded a wooden ship in Cox's Bazar.
She left her older daughter at the camp with family members before embarking on her journey with her five-year-old. She was confident that the journey would be successful and that they would soon reunite in a different nation.
She, her daughter, and another 172 refugees—mostly women and children—were left drifting in the Andaman Sea for weeks without food or water when the boat's engines broke down about a week later.
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Even though the UN requested assistance last week, no regional nation stepped in. When their boat entered Indonesian waters, fishermen eventually saved them.
Nesa's family, who had been unable to contact her for weeks and feared the worst, were reunited with her on Wednesday thanks to the efforts of an Arab News team.
Nesa said in a video call to her mother and brother who were still in Cox's Bazar from a shelter in Indonesia's northern Aceh province, "Allah almighty saved our lives."
"While floating on the boat, we were starving... I was unable to eat anything. A water bottle would have been taken from me if I had been holding one. Only when it rained could I drink water.
Among the refugees who arrived in the coastal village of Muara Tiga in Aceh's Pidie district on Monday were Nesa and her daughter, Umme Salima.
According to the International Organization for Migration, many of them were malnourished and in "very poor health condition."
Both Nesa and her mother started crying during the call. "The rice and lentil you fed me, with that energy I travelled up to Indonesia," Nesa said.
She and the other refugees on the boat would scream for assistance whenever another ship came into view. However, their cries went unheard for weeks.
"We waved our hands wildly and shouted a lot. "At one point, it seemed as though our hands would separate from our bodies," recalled Nesa.
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Rahena, her 19-year-old relative who was also on the boat, recalled how they floated aimlessly for days. She stated that the cries of the hungry children were intolerable and that at least 20 people onboard had perished.
When their boat sailed into Malaysian waters earlier this month, no assistance was offered. Nesa's brother Mohammed Rezuwan Khan, a Rohingya activist in Cox's Bazar, pleaded for help when the boat entered Indian waters, but none arrived.
Authorities repeatedly claimed they couldn't find the Rohingya boat as it drifted into Indonesian territory. Then, local villagers saw them and gathered assistance.
According to what I've observed, the public's desire to assist is extraordinary, said Nasruddin, coordinator for the Geutanyoe Foundation, a charity based in Aceh, to Arab News. "This is something that deserves praise and adulation."
It wasn't the first time Indonesian fishermen had teamed up to aid the refugees, transporting them to safety and giving them the support they needed.
According to Nasruddin, since March of this year, 600 Rohingya have arrived in Aceh.
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The journey of Nesa and her young daughter is still ongoing because Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, which prevents them from requesting asylum. However, they are currently secure and in contact with their family once more.
After arriving in Indonesia, her brother said, "With the aid of Arab News, I was able to get in touch with my sister once more and establish communications with her." "I want to express my sincere gratitude."