330 BGP, govt staff to be shipped off today: BGB

Special Correspondent :
The government officials of Myanmar and members of Border Guard Police (BGP), who took shelter in Bangladesh amid conflict between Myanmar military and armed rebel groups there, will be sent back to their country by a ship today (Thursday).

At least 330 members of Myanmar army, border guards, police, immigration and other officials took refuge recently in Bangladesh.

When contacted Border Guard Bangladesh headquarters, Colonel Shafiul Azam Parvez, Deputy Director General (Communication) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) told The New Nation on Wednesday, “So far as I know the Myanmar nationals including BGP personnel, who took shelter in Bangladesh due to insurgency, will leave Bangladesh to their country on Thursday.”

However, public relations officer of BGB Shariful Islam also said that Myanmar nationals, including members of Border Guard Police, will be handed over to the authorities of Myanmar at 8:00am on Thursday through Naval jetty ghat in Inani of Cox’s Bazar district under the supervision of BGB.

Earlier on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the security forces’ members would be sent back to Myanmar very soon.

There is a war going on all around Myanmar, the Home Minister said adding that their forces are fighting with the Arakan Army on the border of Bangladesh.

A tense situation has been prevailing along the border between Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari Ghumdhum and Tumbru amid fierce fighting, skirmishes and gunfire between the armed forces of the military ruler and insurgent groups inside Myanmar for over two weeks.

Amid the conflict, 330 members of Myanmar army, border guards, police, immigration and other officials took refuge recently in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, two people – a Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man – were killed when mortar shells from the Myanmar side landed on a kitchen at Jalpaitli village of Ghumdhum union in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban recently.