Bangkok [Thailand], Jun 12 (ANI): Around 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees were found stranded in southern Thailand, Thai officials said on Wednesday.

An official told Dawn that the refugees, including 28 men, 31 women and five children, were stranded on Rawi Island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand's southern Satun province after their boat suffered engine trouble.

Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, the chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, was also quoted as saying that the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore. A preliminary check showed that the boat was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens, he added.

He also stated that the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.

Meanwhile, Navy officer Commander Thanapong Sudrak told Dawn that Thai authorities are investigating whether the incident involved any case of human trafficking.

Rohingyas, who belong to the Rakhine state in Myanmar, have been facing extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists. It has further prompted their flight over the years, many on rickety boats that are mostly pushed back into the open sea by countries, especially Thailand and Myanmar.

At present, nearly one million Rohingyas are forced to take shelter in Bangladesh after Myanmar's army, responding to attacks by an armed group, launched a brutal campaign against the Muslim minorities in the Rakhine state in 2017.

A Thai government official was further quoted as saying that the passengers of the wrecked boat will be transferred to the mainland.

"Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants," the official said.

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.

The unrest prompted thousands of minorities to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015 when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats. (ANI) </s> BANGKOK (REUTERS) - A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims was found beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday (June 11), officials said.

The passengers - 28 men, 31 women and five children - were stranded on Rawi island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand's southern Satun province after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.

Scores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what the authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.

A Satun government official said the passengers would be transferred to the mainland.

"Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants," said the official, who declined to be named.

More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state, according to UN agencies.

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.

The unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats. </s> Rohingya women are seen on a beach after a fishing boat carrying more than sixty Rohingya refugees was found beached at Rawi island, part of Tarutao national park in province of Satun, Thailand, bordering with Malaysia, according to officials, June 11, 2019. Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation/Handout via REUTERS

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims was found beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday, officials said.

The passengers - 28 men, 31 women and five children - were stranded on Rawi island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s southern Satun province after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.

Scores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.

A Satun government official said the passengers would be transferred to the mainland.

“Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,” said the official who declined to be named.

More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to U.N. agencies.

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.

The unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats. </s> Rohingya people are seen detained in a police station after a fishing boat carrying more than sixty Rohingya refugees was found beached at Rawi island

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities have charged the captain and crew of a boat carrying 65 Rohingya Muslims with assisting illegal immigration after the group was found stranded on a southern Thai island, police said on Wednesday.

The 29 men, 31 women and five children were discovered on Rawi island in Satun province where their boat had beached due to engine trouble, police said on Tuesday.

The crew - five Myanmar nationals and the Thai captain - were charged with assisting foreign nationals to enter the country illegally, an offence that can carry a prison term of up to 10 years.

"We have charged the Thai and Myanmar suspects with assisting illegal entry for migrants," Police General Suchart Thirasawat told Reuters.

The Rohingya are being cared for while authorities try to determine if they are victims of human trafficking, he said.

"We have not pressed charges against the Rohingya passengers and are still working to determine whether they are victims or not," Suchart said.

Many Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.

"Based on what we know so far, these Rohingya are from the border area between Myanmar and Bangladesh and they were traveling to Malaysia," said Jaruwat Kliangklao, governor of Satun province.

Myanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine state segregated from the Buddhist Rakhine population since violence swept the area in 2012.

The unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea, an exodus that peaked in 2015 when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats.

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh in 2017 after a crackdown by the Myanmar's army, according to U.N. agencies. </s> (Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims wasfound beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday, officials said.The passengers – 28 men, 31 women and five children – werestranded on Rawi Island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s southern Satunprovince after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.Scores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recentmonths to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a newwave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.A Satun government official said the passengers would betransferred to the mainland.“Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether theyare victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,” said the official whodeclined to be named.More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to UN agencies.Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indiansubcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhinesince violence swept the area in 2012.The unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to fleeMyanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 peoplecrossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning inunsafe and overloaded boats. </s> Thai officials say they have discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.

The chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said a boat carrying the Rohingya was discovered Tuesday morning after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had crashed onto rocks. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya refugees.

Kanjanapan said the boat was found on a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were believed to be operating the ship.

Kanjanapan said the group is now under the custody of the Thai navy.

Attacks by Myanmar's army in 2017 caused more than 700,000 Rohingya villagers to flee to Bangladesh and elsewhere for safety. </s> BANGKOK — Thai officials said they discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees on Tuesday who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.

The chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said the boat carrying the Rohingya was found after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had broken down. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya.

Kanjanapan said the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were identified by the Rohingya as in charge of operating the ship.

Kanjanapan said the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.

Navy officer Cmdr. Thanapong Sudrak said authorities will investigate whether the incident involved human trafficking.

Rohingya originate in Rakhine state in Myanmar, where they face extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists, prompting their flight over the years, many on rickety boats that were sometimes pushed back into the open sea by countries such as Thailand.

Attacks by Myanmar's army in 2017 caused more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh and elsewhere for safety. </s> A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims have been found on a shipwrecked boat off the coast of southern Thailand, Navy officials said Wednesday as authorities investigated whether they had been trafficked

Bangkok, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 12th Jun, 2019 ) :A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims have been found on a shipwrecked boat off the coast of southern Thailand, Navy officials said Wednesday as authorities investigated whether they had been trafficked.

The boat was discovered early Tuesday in the Tarutao Marine National Park in southern Thailand, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border of Myanmar.

Some 740,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since a brutal military crackdown in 2017 against the stateless minority in the Buddhist-majority country.

Most have escaped into overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, while others have fallen prey to human trafficking rings as they seek better lives in Malaysia or Thailand.

A Thai Navy spokesman said there were 31 women and five children among the Rohingya on the shipwrecked boat.

One Thai man and five Burmese citizens were also in the group.

The men said they were fishing in the area and had no link to the Rohingyas.

The six men "were detained for questioning because of their suspicious behaviour," Thai Navy spokesman, vice admiral Khan Deeubol, said Wednesday.

A provincial official said the group was initially investigated for illegal entry but the probe had broadened.

"Authorities are not ruling out other issues such as human trafficking," an Internal Security Command (ISOC) source in Satun province told AFP.

Photos from the Thai Navy showed the group on a beach, some eating rice near the marooned ship.

Bangladeshi authorities have intercepted several suspected traffickers seeking to transport refugees from squalid camps in Cox's Bazaar, where nearly one million Rohingyas are living -- almost all refusing to go back to Myanmar out of fear for their safety and rights. </s> BANGKOK (AP) — Thai officials said they discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees on Tuesday who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.

The chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said the boat carrying the Rohingya was found after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had broken down. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya.

Kanjanapan said the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were identified by the Rohingya as in charge of operating the ship.

Kanjanapan said the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.
A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims are left stranded on Rawi Island in southern Thailand after their boat shipwrecked during a journey to flee genocide in their native Rakhine State in Myanmar.