Banda Aceh – The 195 Rohingya refugees who have been waiting for about a year in Aceh for the central government to decide their fate were moved to an immigration shelter in Medan on Thursday.

The refugees consist of 182 men who have been detained at the Sabang naval base on Weh Island, and another 13 men at a camp in Idi Rayeuk, East Aceh.

Bambang Widodo, head of Aceh’s immigration office, said the relocation, facilitated by the International Organization for Migration, was temporary while they await action from Jakarta.

“So far, there has been no decision made by the government, whether they will be deported or sent to a third country. While waiting for the decision, they will be temporarily located at an immigration shelter in Medan,” he said, declining to give a reason for the move.

Of the 182 refugees that were held on Weh Island, 135 were found to be from Burma while 47 were from Bangladesh. Of the refugees at Idi Rayeuk, 12 were Burmese and one was Bangladeshi.

Before being transported to Medan by bus, some of the refugees told the Jakarta Globe that they were doing well.

“I am happy, but I don’t know where they will take us,” said one of the refugees, Muhammad Faisal, 18, in stilted Indonesian.

Samsu Alam, 18, said that they had been treated well at the naval base, although they did had little to do other than praying and exercising. “We’re OK. It’s been a year since we arrived in Sabang,” he said.

Of the original Rohingyas in Sabang, who arrived in Indonesia by boat on Jan. 7, 11 escaped immigration detention on Sept. 20.

Of the Idi Rayeuk group, which numbered 198 when found floating off East Aceh on Feb. 3, most had already fled detention, leaving only 13 refugees. Most are believed to have gone to Malaysia to look for work.

The Rohingya, fleeing military-ruled Burma, caused a sensation last year when the Thai navy reportedly intercepted groups and sent them back to sea without food or clean water.