United States calls for urgent action on south-east Asian migrant crisis

Thailand is to allow the US to fly surveillance planes through its airspace to help identify boats carrying migrants adrift in south-east Asian seas.

"Yes, we are permitting it, it is starting today," said Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn.

The flights will help the migrant crisis that is rapidly developing in the region.

American authorities have said that the thousands of migrants adrift in Southeast Asian seas are in need of urgent rescue, as countries gathered in Bangkok to discuss a crisis that's overwhelming the region.

"We have to save lives urgently," US Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard told reporters on her way into the meeting.

Thousands of migrants are adrift, abandoned by traffickers on overcrowded boats after a Thai crackdown made it too risky for them to continue using trafficking routes through Thailand.

The US has asked Thailand to fly surveillance flights from Thai bases to identify boats carrying migrants, Richard said, but has yet to get the nod from Thai authorities.

She added America is operating similar flights from Malaysia.

Malaysia's prime minister says his country will conduct search and rescue operations for thousands of stranded migrants.

More than 3,000 people, including Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Burma and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty, have arrived in overcrowded boats on the shores of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Najib Razak tweeted that he had ordered his country's navy and coastguard "to conduct search and rescue efforts (for) Rohingya boats. We have to prevent loss of life".

Malaysia and Indonesia have said they will provide temporary shelter to migrants, but have appealed to the international community for help in resettling them.

Indonesia and Malaysia will provide temporary shelter to thousands of migrants who had been stranded at sea, marking the first breakthrough in the humanitarian crisis confronting south-east Asia.

Most of the migrants are the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority from Burma and others are Bangladeshis fleeing poverty.

The agreement came as more than 430 migrants who had been stranded at sea for months were rescued and taken to Indonesia.

"Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those 7,000 irregular migrants at sea," Mr Anifah told reporters.

He said the two countries "also agreed to provide them temporary shelter provided that the resettlement and repatriation process will be done in one year by the international community".

Hundreds of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants have been brought to shore in Indonesia's northwestern Aceh province, Reuters reported, citing a search and rescue official.

"In total we found around 500 people out at sea and they are being brought to land in smaller boats," Khairul Nova, of the national search and rescue agency, said.

Over 350 migrants have been brought to shore by local fishermen in the town of Kuta Binje and are being registered by immigration authorities, a witness told the news agency.

The latest group brought to shore adds to the over 2,000 who have managed to land in Indonesia and Malaysia after weeks of drifting in the Andaman Sea with little food or water.

• Read: More than 100 migrants brought to shore in Indonesia

More than 100 migrants have been brought to shore by fishermen in Indonesia's northwestern Aceh province, Reuters reported, citing a search and rescue official.

"Nearly 400 more have been sighted at sea and fishermen are attempting to bring them to land," Khairul Nova, of the national search and rescue agency, said.

Nova said the Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants had landed in the town of Kuta Binje in Aceh.

The latest group brought to shore adds to the nearly 1,400 who have managed to land in Indonesia after weeks of drifting in the Andaman Sea with little food or water.

UPDATE: Hundreds of migrants brought to shore in Indonesia

More than 700 migrants who were stranded on a boat in south-east Asian seas after being turned away by Thailand and Malaysia have been rescued.

The migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were brought ashore to the east coast of Aceh on Indonesia's island of Sumatra this morning, a search and rescue official said.

"The latest information we have is about 794 people were found in the middle of the sea and brought ashore by fishermen at 5am," Khairul Nova, the official in the town of Langsa in Aceh, said.

"They are now in a warehouse by the port as a temporary arrangement," Nova added.

Thousands of migrants are stranded on similar boats in Southeast Asian seas as governments in the region seek to prevent them from landing, despite a UN request to rescue them.

More: Thousands of desperate migrants turned back to sea by Thailand and Malaysia