Navy rescues 33 Rohingyas

Members of Bangladesh Navy yesterday rescued 33 Rohingya refugees from the Teknaf coast in Cox's Bazar while they were being trafficked to Malaysia through the Bay of Bengal.

Navy ship BNS Ali Haidar rescued the refugees around two nautical miles away from St Martin's Island, said the ship's captain Sohel Azam.

The Rohingyas -- 12 female, 20 male and one child -- were rescued before their sea voyage by an engine-run trawler, the Navy official said.

The Rohingya refugees fled a Rohingya camp in Teknaf around 8:00pm Wednesday, he said, adding that they were handed over to Coast Guard.