Joint forces detain 343 Rohingya refugees in pre-dawn Chandanaish sweep

A operation rounds up hundreds from a settlement known locally as “Burma Colony”

Joint forces have carried out an operation in Chattoram’s Dohazari, detaining 343 Rohingya refugees and sending them back to camps.

Chandanaish Police chief Md Ilias Khan said the drive was conducted on Thursday at a settlement near the Dohazari Bridge, locally known as “Burma Colony”, where Rohingyas and people from different districts had been living in makeshift huts.

Among those detained were 168 men, 77 women and 94 children, he said.

The pre-dawn operation was jointly led by the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and the Upazila administration.

Many people were initially detained during the sweep, Ilias said. After verification, 343 were identified as Rohingya.

Later in the afternoon, the detained refugees were sent under police escort to Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya, the officer added.

He said the operation was part of efforts to maintain law and order and an anti-narcotics drive ahead of the national election.