June 20, 2013

121 Rohingya found adrift off Indonesia's Aceh

BY: AP Staff Writer FEBRUARY 27, 2013 | MODIFIED: FEBRUARY 27, 2013 AT 2:31 AM
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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — A wooden boat carrying 121 hungry, weak Rohingya has been found adrift off Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh.

A doctor at a hospital in Lhokseumawe says the boat had engine trouble and was discovered by fishermen about 25 kilometers (16 miles) off the coast.

The doctor, Herry Luthfi, said Wednesday that the group includes six women and two children under 5 years old. He says they are weak from hunger and dehydration.

The group's destination was unclear.

Many Rohingya flee Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which considers them illegal Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations considers the about 800,000 Rohingya among the most persecuted people in the world.

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