PHUKET, March 23 – One hundred and six Rohingya migrants were arrested in this southern province after they washed ashore and were staying at Loan Island.

Local authorities, including Phuket mayor Arun Solot, investigated the apprehended Rohinya on Saturday.

Inititally, they said the boat people travelled from Myanmar’s Rakhine on Jan 22 in order to settle in Malaysia. However, the boat was lost and headed into India’s territorial waters, where this group of Rohingya were apprehended on Jan 26 and freed on March 19.

After India, the Rohinya again tried to reach Malaysia, but their boat engine was out of order; therefore they were forced to land at Loan Island and finally were arrested by Thai authorities to face further legal actions.

MCOT