Police in Thailand have arrested 91 Rohingya boat people after they landed on the country's southern coast. -- PHOTO: AP
BANGKOK - POLICE in Thailand have arrested 91 Rohingya boat people after they landed on the country's southern coast and are planning to deport them to Myanmar, they said on Monday.
The Muslim, Bengali-speaking Rohingya of Myanmar are described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
The group, all men of different ages, were detained after coming to shore on Saturday evening with boat engine problems, according to Visit Tangpong, police chief in Trang province's Kantang district.
He said he thought the group were on their way from Myanmar to Malaysia.
'We are providing basic humanitarian assistance with food and water, but they were illegal immigrants. We have to follow our laws,' he said.
Police Colonel Putthipong Musikul, of the immigration office in Songkhla province where the group are being held, said they would be sent back, probably within one or two days. -- AFP
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