Police, fishermen start patrols to stop Rohingya boats

Moving elsewhere: Rohingya refugees queue with their belongings at a beach in the Sabang island of Aceh province, as they are relocated by Indonesian authorities. — AFP

Police and fishermen said they have begun patrolling parts of the country’s westernmost province to prevent Rohingya refugees from landing on its shores, after nearly 1,100 members of the persecuted Myanmar minority arrived this month.

Thousands from the mostly Muslim minority risk their lives each year making sea journeys from refugee camps in Bangladesh, often in flimsy boats, to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.