85 Bangladeshis to return from Myanmar Sunday

A total of 85 Bangladeshi nationals on Sunday departed Sitwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar to return home after serving different prison terms.

A press release issued by Bangladesh mission in Myanmar said that Myanmar Naval Ship UMS Chin Dwin, carrying the Bangladesh nationals, is expected to arrive in Cox’s Bazar in the early hours of Sunday (September 29).

The Myanmar Naval Ship on its return trip will take back the repatriating 120 members of the Border Guard Police (BGP) and army personnel who fled to Bangladesh will be returned to Myanmar, it said.

The release mentioned that among the 85 returnees, 26 were detained in Mawlamyine Prison, 16 in Pathein Prison, and three in Kyaikmaraw Prison, with the remaining individuals hailing from Rakhine State.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Salahuddin stated that the Bangladeshi nationals departed from Sittwe Port in Rakhine on Sunday and the group is expected to arrive at the Nuniyarchara jetty in Cox’s Bazar early Sunday morning.

After handing over the returning Bangladeshis, the Myanmar delegation will depart with 120 BGP and army personnel by noon.

He said that the returnees are the residents of Cox’s Bazar, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi districts, while others come from Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Noakhali, and Dhaka.

The Embassy and Consulate collaborated with local authorities to verify the returnees’ identities, issue travel permits, and facilitate their safe return.

This repatriation effort is the result of continuous work by the Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon and the Bangladesh Consulate in Sittwe.

Earlier, on June 8, 2024, some 45 Bangladeshis were brought back home through repatriation.