More than 100 Rohingya brought to safety in Indonesia after protests

Indonesia's navy rescued more than 100 Rohingya migrants travelling in a wooden boat, bringing them to safety early Friday morning following pressure from locals.

The naval ship arrived in Lhokseumawe on the north coast of Aceh province shortly after midnight, according to a journalist at the scene.

Rough seas and pouring rain hampered the operation to bring the mostly women and children to shore, the navy said.

The rescue operation followed local protests and pressure from rights groups, including the UNHRC, after the Indonesian government initially refused entry.

Jakarta on Wednesday evening relented and agreed to bring the boat to shore on humanitarian grounds.

Local Acehnese fishermen first discovered the vessel on December 25 as it drifted between 50 and 70 nautical miles off the coast with a broken engine.

Video they sent from the scene showed the vessel dangerously overcrowded and sitting low in the water after it took on water in heavy seas after the engine failure.

The video and images circulated on social media, stoking support for the migrants, Muslim-minority Rohingya who are fleeing persecution in their native Myanmar, according to local residents.

Local Acehnese said they were motivated by memories of foreign assistance during more than 30 years of conflict and the devastating tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands in 2004.

"We sincerely want to help, especially because we know how it felt getting help from other countries during the tsunami," said Ridwan, 56, a local fisherman who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name.

"Everybody has been eager to help since the beginning," he said.