Bangladesh to return fleeing Myanmar officials by air

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is considering sending back Myanmar border guards and other officials who fled civil war in their country.

They will be sent back by air, an official in the Foreign Ministry told Anadolu.

Clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, have intensified in recent months.

Over 260 Myanmar officials, including border police, soldiers, and customs officers, have crossed into Bangladesh seeking shelter after an attack by the Arakan Army, the Bangladesh Border Guard said.

This is the first time Myanmar's security forces have fled to Bangladesh since the escalation of fighting late last year.

Myanmar initially proposed using boats on the shared Naf River for sending their soldiers and officials back.

Bangladesh, however, expressed concerns about the safety of such a journey due to the ongoing conflict.

Miah Md Mainul Kabir, a senior official at Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry, told Anadolu that they have proposed the Myanmar troops and officials be sent back by air.

“Our ambassador is already in Naypyidaw to hold discussion on this. We hope to reach toward a solution pretty soon,” said Kabir.

Residents in the villages on Bangladesh's border with Myanmar have reported that a large number of Myanmar nationals have gathered close to the border crossing in the hope of fleeing the conflict.

But Bangladesh, which is already hosting over a million Rohingya refugees who fled a crackdown by the Myanmar military, is refraining from letting them in.

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told Anadolu that they have sealed the border and they are not allowing anyone to enter into Bangladesh.

“We are already burdened with millions of Myanmar nationals; we can’t take more refugees now,” he said.

Concerning the safety of the Myanmar citizens after they are sent home, Bangladeshi officials told Anadolu that the Myanmar troops and other government officials "want to go back to the safety of their homeland."