At least 184 Rohingya refugees including many women and children have landed in Aceh province in western Indonesia.

Locals in the East Aceh town of Peureulak alerted police early Monday after discovering the group stranded on foot.

Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily persecuted in Myanmar, risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys -- often in poor-quality boats -- in an attempt to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.