59 Rohingyas found abandoned on Thai island

Fifty-nine Rohingya people have been discovered on a Thai island, saying they were abandoned by traffickers en route to Malaysia, a police officer said yesterday.

The group -- among them five children -- were found on Koh Dong island in the Satun province on Saturday.

Police said they had been charged with illegal entry and could face deportation to Myanmar following a court case.

The group appeared "starving and was likely to have had no food for three to five days", a police statement said.

Group members told officers their boat was among three vessels carrying 178 people that had left Myanmar and Bangladesh, having paid an agent around 5,000 ringgit ($1,300) for the journey.

The first two boats carrying 119 people were stopped and arrested by Malaysian authorities , according to the Thai police.