Bangladesh detains 33 Rohingya for illegal border crossing

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh's border force has detained 33 Myanmar Rohingya, including women and children, on charges of infiltrating through the Alikadam border zone in the southeastern Bandarban district.

The Bangladesh Border Guard members said the detainees include nine women, 10 men, and 14 children.

A patrol team of the border guard conducted an operation on Saturday based on intelligence, and 33 Rohingya from Myanmar were detained while searching the office of a shelter project in Alikadam, official Badruddin Kamal confirmed to Anadolu on Sunday.

These Myanmar nationals were trespassing Bangladesh through various brokers in the hope of a safe life due to the war situation inside Myanmar, said the border guard, adding that the process of pushing back the 33 detained Rohingya was underway.

Earlier, on Jan 11, the border guard detained 53 Rohingya from the Alikadam town.

Bangladesh is facing a growing refugee burden at the border district of southeastern Cox’s Bazar.

The conflict between the Myanmar junta government and the rebel Arakan Army has been causing a new rush of displaced Rohingya toward the Bangladesh border and the largest refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Cox’s Bazar has already been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya since they fled a Myanmar military crackdown in August 2017.

Bangladeshi transitional government's head Muhammad Yunus last month said around 100,000 more Rohingya crossed the country’s borders and took shelter in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, adding further burden on Bangladesh.