178 Burmese Muslim Pushed Back to Burma in 4 Days

By Tun Kyaw

Cox's bazar (Narinjara): Within four days 178 Rohingya Muslims from Burma who entered Bangladesh illegally were arrested and pushed back across the border to Burma by Bangladesh authorities, a source reports.

The individuals were arrested by Bangladesh Rifles Battalion No. 17 in the area of Bangladesh's Ukia Sub-division under Cox's Bazar District on the border of Maungdaw Township in Arakan State as they attempted to enter Bangladesh illegally to seek refuge.

Many Rohingyas were arrested on a bus in an area of Phalaung Khali while another 25 were arrested on a bus in the area of Balukhali in Ukia Sub-division, on the Teknaf - Cox's Bazar highway last Wednesday when authorities set up checkpoints for buses traveling that route.

Rohingyas from Burma have been illegally entered Bangladesh in groups one after another over the last month. "The flow of Burmese Muslims into Bangladesh has been unabated," said a border security officer on the condition of anonymity.

Local newspapers claim that Burmese entering Bangladesh are mixing into populations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and causing crime and social unrest.

Due to the increasing numbers of Rohingyas fleeing Burma and entering Bangladesh, a committee comprised of 17 government departments was formed to prevent an influx of Rohingyas from Burma, said an official report.