No one from Myanmar will be allowed to enter Bangladesh
The government will not allow any further entries from Myanmar as around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees are already living in Bangladesh, the home minister said today.
"We have clearly said we already have 1.2 million Rohingyas here. Whether Rohingya or anyone else, we will not allow anyone from Myanmar to settle here," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said today.
He made the remarks while addressing reporters' questions following the inauguration of the "Highway Police Service Week-2024" at the Bangladesh Police Auditorium of Rajarbagh Police Lines.
"Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) and government officials, and possibly a few army members, crossed into Bangladesh, some armed and some unarmed. But they came to save [their] lives, not to fight," the minister said referring to the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar.
Asaduzzaman said Bangladeshi Border Guard (BGB) members disarmed and detained the individuals who crossed the border, and provided medical assistance to the injured.
"Later, we informed them [Myanmar] through the foreign ministry [and asked them] to take them back," he said.
He said Myanmar had sent a message saying they would take the officials back by ship.
"Hopefully, they will take back their members within one or two days. There is no conflict with us, there is no war, they are here out of self-defence," said Asaduzzaman.
Regarding future border security measures, the home minister reiterated Bangladesh's firm stance against allowing further influx from Myanmar, emphasising that the country already shoulders a significant refugee burden.
He assured that Bangladesh's law enforcers, including the BGB, police, and Coast Guard, would maintain heightened vigilance to prevent unauthorised entries.
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