Authorities say dozens of Rohingya Muslims have come ashore in Indonesia, on the heels of another group earlier this month. The country suspects human trafficking syndicates may be behind the surge in refugee arrivals.

A wooden boat carrying over 70 people landed on the eastern coast of Aceh Province on Wednesday afternoon.

The Associated Press quoted the local police as saying that one refugee told them the boat set off from Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, hoping to reach Malaysia.

Village chief Riza Lihadi says "these Rohingya Muslims will disembark and be relocated to a temporary shelter. They will be handled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization for Migration."

Three weeks ago, two boats carrying 264 Rohingya Muslims were discovered in the same Aceh Province.

The United Nations refugee agency said in a report published last November that more than 2,400 Rohingya people had arrived in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces since November 2023.