Dhaka: Four Buddhist minority families from the southern part of Chittagong Hill tract in Bangladesh left home and moved to Burma after brutal arson attacks on the Buddhist community in Bangladesh's Ramu, said a community leader in the area.
The four families, numbering 18 people, set out at dawn on October 1 from their village locally known as Kyunt Na Wra, part of the Shona Sari village tract in Nakhonchari township of the Banderban district in Bangladesh.
The families' village is reportedly located in an eastern section of Ramu where an arson attack on Buddhist temples and families took place on 29 and 30 September.
“As far as I know, they were afraid after the attacks in Ramu. At the same time, they struggled daily because they had no jobs. I think that is the reason they left for Burma,” the community leader said.
The Bangladesh Border security force came to the village and collected the family member list after they left their village, he added.
The four families that left for Burma belong to U Mae Thok, U Lin Tun, U Mg Than and U Aung Kyaw Hla.
According to sources on the border, the families passed Walar Daung border crossing in a remote area of the northern part of Maungdaw Township in Arakan and arrived at Area 2 of the Burma border security force, Nasaka, where authorities are looking after them.