The Myanmar junta regime on Wednesday deported 173 Bangladeshis, including released prisoners and inmates from their prisons, on a naval ship that would ferry on Thursday 288 who took shelter in Bangladesh amid an on-going fight between the junta force and the ethnic Arakan Army in Rakhine.
The Bangladesh authorities issued travel documents for those Bangladeshis for their deportation from the neighbouring country.
Of them, the authorities would hand over 144 Bangladeshis to their respective family members, while the remaining 29 would face some 鈥榓dministration formalities.鈥�
Out of 173 people, 129 are from Cox鈥檚 Bazar, 30 from Bandarban, seven from Rangamati, and one each from Khagrachari, Noakhali, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Rajbari, Narsingdi, and Nilphamari districts.
The Bangladeshi officials said that most of the Bangladeshis were in Myanmar jail for their involvement in petty offences, including trespassing, and the Myanmar authorities arranged clemency for those who were yet to complete the jail term or were under trial.聽
Bangladesh has no extradition or mutual legal assistance treaty with Myanmar, officials said.
In a statement later on the day, the Bangladesh foreign ministry stated that 288 members of the Myanmar BGP, army, and immigration, among others, who took shelter in Bangladesh, due to internal conflicts in Myanmar, would be repatriated on Thursday or, if necessary, on Friday.
The repatriation is being carried out in line with a decision taken at the inter-ministerial meeting led by the foreign ministry.
Cox鈥檚 Bazar district police superintendent, Md Mahfuzul Islam, said that the family members were informed before receiving them, while a number of Bangladeshis would go for legal formalities.
Bangladesh officials said that Myanmar Naval Ship Chindwin ferried all the Bangladeshis before a tugboat from Bangladesh ferried them to a port in Cox鈥檚 Bazar district headquarters.聽
Riduana Begum of Teknaf Shahpari Dwip Jaliyapara burst into tears of joy after seeing her two sons.
She said that her two sons, Saiful Islam and Ishaq, were taken away by Myanmar border guards when they went fishing in the Naf River. They were released after spending more than two years in Myanmar prisons.
Saiful Islam, returning from Myanmar prison, said that neither they understand the language of the prison guards in Myanmar nor would the guards understand their language, which caused a lot of suffering. 鈥楾hey used to beat us a lot鈥�.
They used to give us two slices of bread in the morning and a little rice in the afternoon in the Myanmar prison.
鈥楾hey did not give us any meals at night. After a lot of suffering, I finally returned to my country.鈥�
BGB officials said that a total of 288 Myanmar personnel had taken shelter in Bangladesh since March 11.
In early February, 330 members of Myanmar security forces, including BGP, army personnel, and immigration officials, took shelter in Bangladesh amid fighting with the Arakan Army.
On February 15, all 330 Myanmar personnel were repatriated to Myanmar on a navy ship from the country amid tight security.
