Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said Dhaka is keeping communication with Myanmar authority to send back the fresh 177 Myanmar security personnel who took shelter in Bangladesh amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in their country.
“On Monday , 177 (Myanmar) border guards entered Bangladesh. With them some civilians also entered but they were pushed back … like previous occasion, this time we are discussing with Myanmar to send back their security personnel,” he told the reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka.
The security personnel from Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) crossed the border near Naikhyangchari in Bandarban on Monday and sought shelter in Bangladesh amid their ongoing conflict with the ethnic rebel group Arakan Army in neighbouring Myanmar.
Replying to a query, the Foreign Minister said Dhaka is in touch with Myanmar authority and if required the Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh will be summoned.
Earlier, Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim made a courtesy call on Foreign Minister at the Foreign Ministry.
Regarding his meeting with the Malaysian envoy, the Minister said they discussed various issues related to bilateral matters while laying emphasis on increasing trade and commerce relations.
“We discussed on how Malaysia can increase the investment at the special economic zones in Bangladesh,” he said.
Mahmud said they also discussed various issues related to the labour market in Malaysia as well as welfare of the expatriate Bangladeshi workers currently residing in the South East Asian country.
At least 177 members of Border Guard Police of Myanmar took shelter in Bangladesh on Monday amid the ongoing fighting between the junta force and Arakan Army in Rakhine state.
He said the BGP members from Angthapaya camp of Myanmar entered Bangladesh through Jamchhari border of Sadar Union of Bandarbans Naikhongchhari upazila. They are now in the custody of BGB.
On February 15, a total of 330 Myanmar nationals, who crossed the border and took refuge in Bangladesh to escape the fighting between the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army, were sent back to their country. They included 302 BGP members, four family members of the BGP personnel, two army personnel, 18 immigration members, and four civilians.
The Myanmar citizens started fleeing to Bangladesh on February 4 as the fighting between the Myanmar junta force and the Arakan Army escalated along the border with Bandarban and Coxs Bazar.
The BGB members disarmed them and took them into custody. At least 68 of them — of which 15 were bullet-hit — took shelter in Bangladesh on February 4, and the rest entered on different dates until February 7.
Myanmar security men who took refuge will be sent back
Leave a comment