Myanmar's Rohingya boatpeople stranded in Indonesia's Aceh

Jakarta - A boat carrying 121 people from Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority was found adrift off Indonesia's Aceh province, an official said Wednesday.

The refugees were rescued by local fishermen Tuesday and then taken to an immigration office in Lhokseumawe in North Aceh district, said official Yusuf, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

"They were starving because their food supply has run out," he said. Two children and six women were among the group.

More than 300 Muslim Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar were rescued off Aceh in 2009.

An estimated 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar’s Rakhine State but they are not eligible for citizenship. The United Nations considers the minority to be among the most persecuted people in the world.//DPA