Indonesia navy drives away boat carrying Rohingyas

An Indonesian navy vessel in Aceh drove away a boat carrying Rohingyas from Myanmar, a military spokesperson said, as growing numbers of would-be refugees from the strife-torn country face hostility from locals.

The wooden boat was encountered in waters near Weh Island, off Sumatra, military spokesperson Nugraha Gumilar said.

The Indonesian military vessel "shadowed" the vessel, which it believed to be carrying Rohingyas, a persecuted Myanmar Muslim-minority, until it was outside Indonesian waters and "would not return".

There are no estimates of how many Rohingyas were on the boat, Nugraha said. Indonesia's foreign ministry referred inquiries to the coordinating ministry for political, legal, and security affairs, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.