Five more BGP members take refuge in Bangladesh
COX’S BAZAR CORRESPONDENT
Five more members of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) have sought refuge in Bangladesh, escaping through Sabrang Point on the Naf River in Teknaf sub-district of Cox’s Bazar, amid ongoing internal conflicts in Myanmar, officials said on Thursday.
The members entered Bangladesh around 11 a.m. local time on Thursday via a motorboat equipped with heavy firearms and ammunition, and were wearing their official BGP uniforms, said Md. Adnan Chowdhury, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Teknaf.
Upon reaching the riverbank, they were surrounded and detained by members of the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB), who later disarmed and took them into custody, Chowdhury explained.
“These BGP members surrendered to the BGB and requested asylum,” Chowdhury told Reuters. “They were disarmed and taken into custody without any resistance.”
Rezaul Karim Rezu, a local union council member, corroborated the incident, noting that the BGP members were later transported by a vehicle to Hrila High School, located 20 kilometers away, for further processing.
The incident follows the flight of 88 BGP members last Sunday, who also sought refuge in Bangladesh and were housed at the same school.
As of Saturday, an additional 44 Myanmar troops have been observed fleeing Myanmar through various border points into Bangladesh, local authorities reported.
Earlier, Bangladesh repatriated a total of 618 Myanmar nationals, including members of the Border Guard Police (BGP) and the army, with 288 being sent back on April 25 and an additional 330 on February 15.
