COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan navy has successfully rescued over 100 individuals, presumed to be Rohingya refugees, who were found stranded on a fishing trawler near the nation’s shores, according to a spokesperson for the navy.

Spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya reported that local fishermen spotted the group, which included 25 children and 30 women, off the northern coast of Sri Lanka on Thursday. Following this discovery, naval vessels escorted the trawler to a naval base located on the eastern coast of the country, where the refugees received necessary medical attention, as well as food and water.

While the navy has not definitively identified the refugees as Rohingya due to communication challenges, officials suspect that the group hails from Myanmar.

This rescue operation bears resemblance to a similar event from 2022, in which Sri Lankan naval forces rescued around 100 Rohingya individuals who were also stranded in Sri Lankan waters on a fishing boat.

The plight of the Rohingya people is dire, as hundreds of thousands have fled Myanmar facing severe discrimination, with many lacking citizenship rights. Approximately 1 million Rohingya currently reside in refugee camps in Bangladesh, having escaped a violent counterinsurgency campaign in 2017 conducted by Myanmar’s security forces, who have been accused of widespread atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence.

In recent months, there has been an upsurge in Rohingya attempting to leave the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, with a notable increase in arrivals in Indonesia. As a result, Indonesian authorities have reached out to the global community for assistance. However, Rohingya individuals arriving in Aceh often encounter resistance from some local Muslim communities.

The prospect of returning to Myanmar remains nearly impossible for the Rohingya, particularly following the military coup in 2021 that ousted the democratically elected government. Furthermore, no country has proposed substantial resettlement initiatives for this vulnerable population.