Teknaf, Bangladesh (KPN): Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) handed over 68 Burmese citizens to the Burmese authority (Burmese border security force, or Nasaka), yesterday afternoon at the high level flag meeting between the BDR and Nasaka, held at a rest house of border town Teknaf, Bangladesh, according to our correspondent.
Lt. Colonel Abdul Kheleque, Commanding Officer,42 BDR Battalion, Teknaf, led the five-member team, while U Myint Khine, Deputy Director of Nasaka Headquarters, Maungdaw, led the six member Burmese delegation to the flag meeting, he said.
After the meeting, BDR handed over 68 Burmese prisoners, including two women and three army personnel to the Nasaka Deputy Director, he added.
The prisoners were arrested by BDR and the Bangladesh Police in different places such as Teknaf, Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazaar district and Nikkongchari of Banderban hill district for illegally entering Bangladesh, a few years ago, BDR officials said.
The BDR officials also said that the three army personnel had been arrested with their firearms, when they were trying to abduct four Bangladeshis from Gungdoum of Nikkongchari.
On the other side of the border, Sakdala , situated near pillar number 42, Rayzu Para , situated near pillar number 46 -47 and Laymoosawri, near pillar number 50 -51, also witnessed a company commander or field commander level flag meeting, yesterday. In the meetings they discussed about the fencing program, which the Bangladeshi authority had protested against. They had asked their Burmese counterparts not to erect any embankment, within 150 yards from the zero point, according to officials.
In these meetings, Banduhla and Aung Thapary commander led the Burmese side, while Sakdala, Rayzu and Laymoosawri Company Commander joined in the meeting.
When asked a Rohingya politician from Maungdaw said, there may be some policy behind this unexpected handing over of prisoners by Bangladesh, as the Burmese authorities always refused to accept prisoners from Bangladeshi jails.
“Maybe, the Burmese authority wants to show that they want to cooperate with the Bangladeshi authority after tension escalated due to the fencing, offshore oil and other army reinforcement on the border, or maybe for three army personnel they accepted the other prisoners,” he added.
