Teknaf, Bangladesh: More than 71 Burmese nationals were pushed back to Burma by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) from different transit points of the Burma-Bangladesh border area since last week, a source from BDR of Teknaf said.
 
On July 22, over 28 Rohingya people, (19 children, 8 women and two men), who were living with the local people at Kosubana village under Naikongchari Upazila, were arrested in an operation by the police at night, according to a local from Naikongchari.
 
The police handed over the Rohingya people to the 17 BDR Battalion so that they could be sent back to Burma. The BDR pushed them back through the transit point of Gumdum from Bangladesh, the local said.
 
According to BDR sources, since last week they have pushed back a total of 71 Rohingya ethnic people to Burma including women and children.
 
The BDR pushed back 8 Rohingya people of Burma from Sabrang by the 42 Rifles Battalion, 28 persons from Gundum by 17 BDR Battalion and 35 persons from Chakdala border point of Naikongchari of Bandarban hill district by the 15 BDR Battalion.
 
The Rohingya ethnic, who had entered illegally into Bangladesh, were harassed by the Burmese military junta and were trying to escape from persecution. However, the Bangladeshi authorities also ordered the border security force to arrest Burmese nationals and push them back to Burma. “Where will they go to save their lives?” a local elder from Naikongchari Upazila asked.