800 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants rescued off Indonesia

It came as Thailand's navy discovered 106 Rohingya migrants on an island off the coast of Phang Na province, but it was not clear whether their boat had a problem or they had been abandoned.

Rohingya migrants sit inside a temporary shelter at Kuala Langsa Port in Aceh province, Indonesia. Binsar Bakkara / AP Photo

LANGSA, Indonesia // About 800 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were rescued by fishermen off Indonesia on Friday, as Myanmar undermined calls for a coordinated response to South-east Asia’s human-trafficking crisis by threatening to boycott a summit.

Hundreds more migrants were aboard a boat that was intercepted offshore by Indonesia’s navy, a military spokesman said, while authorities worked out what to do with it.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s navy discovered 106 Rohingya on an island off the coast of Phang Na province, but it was unclear whether their boat had a problem or they had been abandoned, the provincial governor said.

The Indonesian and Malaysian policy of turning away boats filled with Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar has been met with outrage, including from Washington and the United Nations.

Activists estimate that up to 8,000 migrants may be at sea in the area, with horrific tales emerging of passengers being abandoned by abusive smugglers, and being subjected to cramped conditions, starvation and death.

In his first public comments on the issue, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said he was “very concerned with the plight of migrants” but gave no indication of a policy shift on an issue that has caused regional finger-pointing.

“We are in contact with all relevant parties, with whom we share the desire to find a solution to this crisis,” he said without elaborating.

It was not clear whether those “relevant parties” included Myanmar, which faces harsh criticism of its treatment of Rohingya.

On Friday Myanmar snubbed neighbouring Thailand’s call for a regional meeting on the problem on May 29.

The unfolding humanitarian crisis appears to have been precipitated by a Thai police crackdown that has thrown busy people-smuggling routes into chaos just as a surge of migrants took to the sea.

“We are unlikely to attend. We do not accept it if they (Thailand) are inviting us just to ease the pressure they are facing,” said Myanmar presidential office director Zaw Htay.

Indonesian police said at least 797 people were rescued on Friday by fisherman in Aceh province, on the east coast of Sumatra. At least 61 children were among those rescued.

Search-and-rescue officials said it was not immediately clear whether they had come from the same boat. Many passengers said their vessel headed towards Indonesia after earlier been driven away by Malaysia, according to police.

Nearly 600 migrants were already sheltering in Aceh after managing to get ashore in recent days.

Earlier on Friday, a boat carrying about 300 Rohingya had left Thailand’s waters, a Thai official said, after authorities repaired its engine and provided food.

Its passengers included many children and women who had wept as they begged for food and water after arriving near the southern Thai island of Koh Lipe on Thursday.

They described a grim two-month odyssey in which 10 passengers had died of starvation or illness and were tossed overboard.

“We haven’t had anything to eat for a week, there is nowhere to sleep. My children are sick,” said Sajida, 27, a Rohingya who was travelling with her four young children.

A Thai official said the passengers – who wanted to reach Malaysia – declined offers to go ashore in Thailand, fearing they would be sent back to Myanmar. They planned instead to make for Indonesia.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon urged South East Asian countries to “keep their borders and ports open in order to help the vulnerable people who are in need”.

* Agence France-Presse

* Agence France-Presse