Rohingya refugee boat lands in Indonesia after month at
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A broken-down boat carrying 57 Rohingya refugees landed on Indonesia's western coast on Sunday.
LADONG (AFP) - A broken-down boat carrying 57 Rohingya refugees landed on Indonesia s western coast on Sunday after a month at sea, police said.
Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, risk their lives each year on long, expensive sea journeys -- often in poor-quality vessels -- in an attempt to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
The wooden vessel with 57 men on board arrived around 08:00 am local time (0100 GMT) on a beach in the westernmost Aceh province, local police spokesman Winardy told AFP.
"The boat had a broken engine and it was carried by the wind to a shore in Ladong Village in Aceh Besar (district)," Winardy, who goes by one name, said.
"They said they have been drifting at sea for a month."
Winardy added that police arrived at the beach after being informed by some locals that the boat had docked there.
