Border guards stop 340 Rohingyas from entering Bangladesh

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has intercepted 34 boats carrying at least 340 Rohingyas at border points near Cox's Bazar and pushed them back in to Myanmar.

The Muslim ethnic community had been trying to flee persecution in the Rakhina state of Myanmar.

“They were turned back from Fuler Dale, Jadimura and Kanjormarha points of Naf River (on the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar) early on Sunday,” said Teknaf-based BGB Battalion’s Major Abu Russel Siddiqui.

“The boats tried to intrude into Bangladesh’s territorial water by crossing the zero point. BGB patrols compelled them to go back to Myanmar,” he said.

Each of the boat carried around 10 people, added the BGB official.

An army crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine started after nine police officers were killed by ‘insurgents’ on the border along Myanmar on Oct 9.

Dodging the 'strict vigilance' by BGB, many of the persecuted community have already managed to sneak in to Bangladesh and taken shelter here.

Major Russel claimed that more than 459 boats carrying Rohingyas have been turned back since Dec 1.

Bangladesh has been under considerable pressure to accept the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds.

But Dhaka says that the Rohingya problem should be settled by international pressure on Myanmar and Bangladesh, as an over-populated country, has no space for huge numbers of migrants from across the border.