YANGON: Myanmar's navy boat crammed with 727 stranded migrants to a 'safe' location where officials will verify their identities before taking any further action, the country's information minister said yesterday.
Correcting an earlier comment that the navy was taking the converted fishing boat the waters of neighbouring Bangladesh, Ye Htut said the migrants were headed to an undisclosed bur safe area and had been provided with food and water.
"The operation is starting. They will be taken to a safe destination," Ye Hrut said by telephone. He would not disclose that location because of "security and safety concerns.
The migrants were found drifting in the Andaman Sea on Friday in an overloaded fishing boat that was taking on water.