Malaysian authorities said Monday they are probing claims that 93 Rohingya from Myanmar were chased out of Thai waters and drifted aboard a boat for 45 days before being rescued.

Malaysian maritime officials found the boat last Wednesday off Langkawi island on Malaysia's northwest coast after a tip-off from fishing crews. The Rohingya were sent to an immigration camp in northern Kedah state.
 

Authorities are investigating the status of the group, from Myanmar’s Muslim minority, and their claims they were chased out of Thai waters after being given food by the Thai navy, state immigration chief Zulfikar Ahmad said.
 

"The Rohingya said they met the Thai navy at sea, they gave them food and later pushed them out before they were rescued by our maritime officials,” Zulfikar told AFP.
 

He said the immigration authorities needed two weeks to complete their investigation and have not yet obtained any response from the Thai authorities on the claims.
 

A navy spokesman in Thailand said there has been no report on the incident.

The Thai navy has in the past been accused of sending desperate asylum-seekers back to sea and casting them adrift, drawing fire from human rights activists.

Place of refuge
Malaysia is one of the main destinations for Rohingya fleeing poverty and oppression in military-ruled Myanmar.
 

Zulfikar said the 93 Rohingya, all men from Arakan state in Myanmar, were in good condition but reported that another man died during the arduous journey.

He said the group would now be handed on to the UN refugee agency.
 

"We are not going to charge them in court."

The UNHCR said it would seek access to the group to verify their status.

Mainly Buddhist Myanmar denies citizenship and property rights to the Bengali-speaking Rohingya, leading to their abuse and exploitation and prompting many to flee the country.
 

Source: AFP