32 Burmese Rescued off Sri Lankan Coast

18 February 2013

A boat carrying 32 Burmese citizens was rescued by the Sri Lankan navy on Saturday after the group had been at sea for two months, AFP reports. According to Sri Lankan officials they were trying to reach Australia and had left Burma’s shores in a group of around 130 people in three boats. The fate of the other two boats was unknown. It also remains unclear whether the rescued people are Rohingya’s. This Muslim group has been fleeing west Burma by the thousands in recent months. On Feb.3 Sri Lankan authorities also rescued 138 Burmese and Bangladeshi citizens from a sinking boat off the island’s coast.