Navy boat to fetch stranded Acehnese

SABANG, Aceh: The Indonesian Navy ship KRI Tongkol departed Saturday morning for India's Andaman island, off the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal, to pick up 12 stranded fishermen, Antara reported.

KRI Tongkol's captain, Lt. Commander Ary Sembiring, said here Saturday that a huge swell had most likely forced the boatload of fishermen, all Acehnese, off course. There are at least 42 Acehnese fishermen stranded in Nicobar and Andaman islands, he said.

"However, only 12 of them have been cleared by authorities in the islands and are now ready to return," he said, adding they were scheduled to return to Aceh's Malahayati Port on Thursday.