Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh: Within two days, from November 2 to 3, fifty two Rohingyas, including women and children were arrested and pushed back by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) from Goondon point, said a local from border area.
On November 2, in two phases, the arrested Rohingyas were pushed back to Burma. In first phase, at about 3:30 am, 13 Rohingyas were pushed back to Burma and in the second phase, 26 Rohingyas were also pushed back to Burma in the evening from Goondon border point.
Yesterday, on November 3, at about 10 am, policemen from Ukhiya police station checked a passenger car, which was going to Cox’s Bazaar. The police arrested 14 Rohingyas from the car, who recently crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border. They were pushed back to Burma by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), according to our correspondent.
They crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border given the persecution by the Burmese Army, Nasaka (Burma’s border security force), Military Intelligence (Sarapa) and the police. Mostly, they were forced to work in barbed wire fencing being erected on the Burma-Bangladesh border and in army and Nasaka camps, said one of the detained.
The arrested are from Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships of Arakan State.
According to Prodip Dash, the OC of the Ukhiya police station, after arrest all were handed over to the BDR to be pushed back to Burma.
The arrested were identified as Hafez Islam (22), Neyamat Ali (45), Abdul Hamid (35), Sadek Hussain (45), Abu Taher (50), Noor Mohamed (43), Sayed Alam (45), Md. Enus (50), Md. Waras (40), Sara Khatoon (50), Samina Akter (25), Mamtaz Begum (35), Gulzer (50) and another person.
It is learnt that two girls among the arrested have been missing from the border since October 2, but there is no confirmation.
Recently, the Bangladesh government increased pushing back of Rohingya people to Burma to stop infiltration to Bangladesh. But, Rohingya people are still coming though the BDR has been watching border areas and are on red alert. Rohingya people are a burden for the Bangladesh government, said a local elder from the border area.
