A hundred and seven Burmese Muslims, who were arrested by the Burmese Navy last year, were sent back to Arakan on Sunday from Rangoon after their jail term was over recently.

"They arrived at the Buthidaung jetty on Sunday evening from Sittwe, the capital of Arakan state, by Aung Ta Khun ferry ship. Later they were sent to their respective homes located at Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships," an eyewitness said.

The 107 Burmese Muslims from Maungdaw and Buthidaung Township were arrested by the Burmese Navy last year while they were adrift on the Andaman Sea near the Hai Gyi navy base in a machine boat after the boat's engine stalled.

They were sent to Rangoon by the navy and a court in Rangoon sentenced them to one year in prison for illegally travelling to Malaysia.

After their jail term was completed in Rangoon, the authorities sent them back to their native towns in Arakan state.

Among them, 106 people are from Maungdaw Township and one is from Buthidaung. There are some women in the group.

According to a local source, they left for Malaysia from Teknaf, a border town of Bangladesh, opposite the Burmese town of Maungdaw, in a machine boat last year seeking
jobs.

However, they did not reach their destination because the boat's engine failed.

Many Burmese Muslims in northern Arakan have been leaving for Malaysia since 2000 looking for jobs there due to economic crisis and appalling human rights conditions in the region under the present military government.