288 members of Myanmar army, BGP repatriated from Bangladesh
A total of 288 members of Myanmar's army and Border Guard Police (BGP), who fled to Bangladesh amid ongoing conflict in Myanmar, have been repatriated to their homeland.
The handover took place today (25 April) at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Ghat in Nunia Chara, Cox's Bazar, in the presence of delegations from both countries.
They were transferred to a Myanmar ship waiting in the deep sea via a tugboat amid strict security, confirmed Md Yamin Hossain, additional district magistrate of Cox's Bazar.
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This repatriation marks the second phase, following the initial return of 330 individuals - including members of the Myanmar army, BGP, and customs officials - on 15 February via the Navy Jetty in Ukhiya.
He said, "In the last one and a half months, around 288 people of the Myanmar army and BGP fled and sought refuge in Bangladesh. They have been handed over to the Myanmar delegation this morning following official procedure. They are now on their way home"
This morning, around 5:30am, 11 buses from Naikhongchhari Border Guard Government Primary School in Bandarban arrived at Nunia Chara Ghat in Cox's Bazar.
The verification and immigration took around 1.5 hours, with representatives from both countries present at the scene.
The Myanmar delegation included the country's ambassador to Bangladesh and five members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP). On behalf of Bangladesh, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BGB, Coast Guard, and district administration were present.
The tugboat carrying the Myanmar army and BGP left the jetty around 7am under heavy security of Bangladesh Coast Guard
Neither the Myanmar delegation nor the BGB officials agreed to speak to the media regarding the repatriation process.
Earlier, on Wednesday (24 April), 173 Bangladeshis who were imprisoned in Myanmar's Rakhine returned home from the neighbouring country by sea under a special initiative by the Myanmar Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Of them, 129 are from Cox's Bazar, 30 are from Bandarban, seven are from Rangamati, and one each from Khagrachari, Noakhali, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Rajbari, Narshingdi and Nilphamari.
They came back on Myanmar ship Chin Duin, which left today with 288 Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP), army members, immigration officials, and others who took shelter in Bangladesh amid the ongoing internal conflict in Myanmar.
