Maugdaw: 14 Buddhist families from Bandarban District under Chittagong Hill Tract in Bangladesh have sought shelter in Burma after entering into northern Maungdaw in Arakan State.
An official from the area told Narinjara that they have now been provided with temporary shelters in the central school in downtown Maungdaw after being taken from Nasaka Area No. 01 in northern Maungdaw Township on the Bangladeshi border.
“There are 14 families that consist of 52 people. They are now temporarily being kept in Baho Monastery in Maungdaw under the care of the local authorities for their convenience”, said the official.
They are said to have requested shelter from the nearest Nasaka station in northern Maungdaw Township after crossing the border between the two countries.
“They are two different groups of families. The first group of 8 families consists of 30 people who entered into Maungdaw on December 20 and the second group of 6 families did so on the following day”, said the official.
He said the local authorities have reported their arrival to the central government and will have to tackle their cases according to the government’s decision.
The first group of families is said to have stated that they are from Kant Kaw Phar area in Bandarban in Bangladesh.
It is still not known why they have fled their homes in Bangladesh.
Narinjara is trying to get a chance to interview some of those family members currently taking shelter in downtown Maungdaw.
