45 Bangladeshis return; 134 BGP and military personnel sent back to Myanmar

After serving different prison terms in Myanmar, 45 Bangladeshis have returned to the country.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh sent back the 134 Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) and military personnel to their country.  

A Bangladesh Navy boat picked up these Bangladeshis from the Myanmar Navy ship UMS Chin Duin and reached the BIWTA jetty at Cox's Bazar around 9am today (9 June).

At the same time, another navy boat brought a five-member delegation from Myanmar to the jetty.

Neither the Myanmar delegation nor the BGB officials were willing to speak to the media on record about the handover process.

Sources from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and district administration, however, said the 134 Myanmar BGP and military personnel, who had fled to Bangladesh amid the conflicts in Myanmar, were brought to the jetty in four buses under tight security at 7:05am this morning.

The immigration and documentation processes began shortly after the Myanmar nationals reached the jetty.

Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, BGB, District Administration, Police Administration, District Health Department, Coast Guard, and representatives from the Myanmar Embassy in Bangladesh were present.

After the paperwork was completed, the 134 BGP and military personnel were taken back by the two navy boats and left the BIWTA jetty around 12:30pm.

Sources said the Myanmar nationals will be handed over to the Myanmar Navy ship stationed at the maritime boundary line between the marine borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi citizens who had completed various prison terms in Myanmar were brought to the same location.

"These individuals are residents of Cox's Bazar, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj districts," said Md Yamin Hossain, additional district magistrate of Cox's Bazar.

The police have begun handing over the 45 individuals who have returned after their imprisonment to their relatives.

Cox's Bazar's Police Superintendent, Md Mahafuzul Islam, said the verification process is ongoing to determine whether any of them are criminals or accused in any cases.

"If any accused are found, they will be sent to court for legal proceedings; otherwise, they will be handed over to their relatives. This process will take some time," he said.

Previously, on 25 April, 173 Bangladeshis returned to the country after completing their prison terms in Myanmar.

On the same day, Bangladesh sent back 288 members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) and military personnel who had sought refuge in Bangladesh.

Before that, on 15 February, Bangladesh sent back 330 members of Myanmar's border guard forces, military, and customs officers.