Bangladesh brings back another 125 illegal migrants from Myanmar

Bangladesh has brought back 125 illegal migrants rescued by Myanmar from the sea.

They were repatriated through Ghumdhum border at Bandarban's Naikkhangchharhi Upazila around 1:30pm on Tuesday, said Cox’s Bazar BGB 17th Battalion Commander Lt Col Md Robiul Islam.
 
Cox’s Bazar’s Additional Superintendent of Police Tofayel Ahmed said the 125 Bangladeshis were taken to Cox’s Bazar Cultural Centre after the handover in four buses.
 
“They would be questioned once immigration formalities were done. Then they will be sent home,” he added.
 
Out of 125, Ahmed said, 27 were adolescents. “They will be produced before a court on Wednesday to determine what will happen to them.”
 
Red Crescent Society’s Cox’s Bazar unit would assist in sending them home if the court ordered to do so, he said.
 

Earlier in the morning, Lt Col Md Robiul Islam led an 18-member delegation to the flag meeting between BGB and the Myanmar’s immigration department at Dhenkibuniya across the border.

The delegation included BGB, district administration, police and immigration officials.

International Organisation for Migration (IOM)’s National Programme Officer Asif Munier had said they would provide humanitarian help to the repatriated people until they reached home.

He said most of them hailed from Cox’s Bazar. 

The rest are from Bandarban, Feni, Bhola, Chandpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Rajbarhi, Brahmanbarhia, Gazipur, Tangail, Dhaka, Kishoreganj and Meherpur.

Myanmar Navy rescued 208 boat people on May 22 and 727 more on May 27.

Bangladesh brought back 501 of them, identified as Bangladeshis, in four phases on June 8, June 19, July 22 and Aug 10.

With Tuesday’s 125, altogether 626 Bangladeshis have been brought back until now.