Over 28 Rohingya have been arrested for illegally crossing the Bangladesh border at Gumdum, Taungbro and Balukhali on Nov. 20. They were deported back to Burma the same day, according to one Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officer.
Thirteen Rohingyas who tried to cross the border near Gumdum and Taungbro were also arrested and deported on November 19.
BGB used to arrest people who tried to cross the border at Teknaf but since November they have stepped up their patrols to include other areas along the border.
After sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims broke out in June and October the UN asked the Bangladesh government to provide refuge to Rohingyas fleeing the fighting. But the government pushed back boatloads carrying mostly women and children.
Over 540 Rohingyas have been arrested during raids since the beginning of November, according to a BGB officer stationed at Cox’s Bazar.
There are already about 300,000 Rohingyas living in camps along the Bangladesh border.
Nearly a million stateless Rohingyas live in Arakan State where their movement is restricted by authorities, and forced to pay bribes to marry and have children. Furthermore they are subjected to a variety of daily human rights abuses at by the military and police. Many of the ethnic Rakhine population consider them to be illegal immigrants even though many have lived in the country for several generations or even longer.
