Myanmar border guards ‘shift 727 migrants elsewhere’

At least 727 migrants who had reportedly been picked up by Myanmar Navy off the country’s southern coast, were taken to Maungdaw in Myanmar on Wednesday, five days after the incident. Major Abu Russel Siddique, additional director of BGB-42 Battalion, Teknaf, said the Myanmar Navy took the migrants to the Maungdaw through the Naf River in Cox’s Bazar. He said Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) confirmed Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) about moving the migrants. However, the BGB has been put on high alert following the incident. Earlier, on Friday, Myanmar Navy has seized a boat packed with 727 people off the country’s southern coast- just a week after it picked up about 200 in its first such operation. The nationality of people on the boat was unclear till filing of the report about 12.45 pm. The crisis began earlier this year when Thailand cracked down on overland migrant routes, forcing people smugglers to use sea routes instead. – UNB, Dhaka. Thousands of migrants are thought to be stranded at sea, trying to head south to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. – Cox’s Bazar, June 3 (UNB)