Myanmar to repatriate more Bangladeshi boat people

Yangon: Myanmar will repatriate another 727 Bangladeshi boat people, rescued by the navy off the southern coast on Friday, after carrying out a detailed investigation, an official report said on Saturday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 727 Bangladeshi illegal migrants set out on the sea in the fourth week of March between Myanmar and Bangladesh on three boats to go to Malaysia via Thailand, said the Global New Light of Myanmar.

After reaching Thai waters, they waited for 45 days for Malaysian boats that were supposed to transport them to Malaysia. But when no one came to fetch them, they started sailing back to their original place when they were intercepted by the Myanmar navy.

The people were sent by the navy to Haigyi island for further action, according to Xinhua news agency.

On May 21, during regular patrolling, Myanmar navy intercepted two suspected fishing trawlers off the western coast of Maungtaw in western Rakhine state, one of which had 208 people on board while the other one was empty.

Among them, 200 were identified as Bangladeshis and arrangement are being made to repatriate them to their homeland under an agreement between authorities of Myanmar and Bangladesh.