Bangladesh stops Rohingya trying to get to Malaysia

TEKNAF (Bangladesh) (AFP): Bangladesh security forces stopped 30 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat, officials said Friday (Feb 8), as fears rise that calmer seas may tempt those living in squalid camps to make the journey to South-East Asia.

Two suspected human traffickers were detained in the operation by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces in Cox’s Bazar district late Thursday (Feb 7), the officials said.

About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh following a military clampdown in August 2017. 

They joined about 300,000 of the Muslim minority already in the country where they are largely confined to camps, which have strained Bangladesh’s resources to the limit.

The 17 women, six children and seven men were detained on a beach near the coastal town of Teknaf, which borders Myanmar’s violence-wracked Rakine state, the BGB said.

It is the third time since November that Rohingya have been intercepted while attempting to reach Malaysia by boat.

Some boats have also been intercepted trying to leave Myanmar.

Lieutenant Colonel Asadud Zaman Chowdhury told AFP the 30 Rohingya were lured by human traffickers operating in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

He said the Rohingya, who had paid about US$1,000 each for “safe passage” to Malaysia, would be sent back to the camps.