By: Navalsang Parmar (Dhaka)

In a coordinated early morning operation on Thursday, Bangladesh repatriated 288 members of Myanmar’s security forces who had sought refuge across the border. This group included members from the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP), army, and immigration units.

According to Shariful Islam, a public relations officer for the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the operation commenced at 6 am at a site managed by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). The repatriation involved a carefully staged handover of the individuals to the Myanmar BGP.

Prior to the handover, Myanmar officials confirmed the identities and checked the documentation of all returnees, reports UNB.

This incident marks the second recent repatriation of Myanmar personnel to their homeland from Bangladesh, following the February 16 return of 330 officials, including BGP members, army personnel, and customs officials, under stringent security measures.

Bangladesh ordered an intensified security vigil on its border with Myanmar amid ongoing fighting in Myanmar between the Junta troops and the rebel fighters Arakan Army which is active in the bordering Rakhine region of Myanmar. The junta is facing coordinated offensives near the borders with China, India, Bangladesh and Thailand and according to analysts it is the biggest threat to its rule since it seized power in 2021.

Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar stretches 271.0 kilometres from the tri-point with India in the north, to the Bay of Bengal in the south.