146 Bangladesh nationals returned by Myanmar go home

One hundred forty-six Bangladeshis out of 155 who returned from Myanmar have gone home from Cox’s Bazar.

Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Tofail Ahmed said they left for their homes from the district town’s cultural centre around Friday noon with the assistance of International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
 
On Thursday, the custody of nine adolescent returnees was entrusted to Red Crescent for sending them home following a court order.
 
Ahmed said the 155 people were brought back from Myanmar on Wednesday and kept at the cultural centre after the completion of immigration formalities.
 
Police and detectives quizzed them on Thursday night for information about their traffickers and touts.
 
“Nine of them were sent to the court for a decision on them as they are minors. The court ordered sending them home safely,” he added.
 
The police officer said the returnees hailed from 13 districts including Cox’s Bazar.
 
“During interrogation, they divulged that they were trafficked through 70 touts,” he said adding: “These touts will be sued.”
 
“Petitions have been prepared and given to them so that they can sue the touts in their respective districts after reaching home.”
 
IOM National Programme Officer Asif Munier said the organisation gave the returnees food and medical treatment, and sent them home.
 
Myanmar Navy rescued 208 people from boats on the sea amid media reports of mass graves of immigrants in Thailand.
 
Among them, 187 were identified as Bangladeshis and sent back home on June 8 and June 19.
 
Myanmar Navy rescued another 727 from boats on May 29. The neighbour claimed all were Bangladeshi nationals but 314 of them – 155 at first and 159 later – were found to be from Bangladesh.
 
The first group was returned home on Wednesday. Munier said a process was on to bring back the second group.