2nd phase repatriation of 285 Myanmar personnel scheduled for Monday

Bangladesh foreign minister Hasan Mahmud disclosed that the Bangla government in Dhaka has finalized a plan for the second phase of repatriation for  Myanmar’s border guard personnel, who fled the conflict between the Arakha Army (AA) fighters and junta soldiers.

“Many members of Myanmar’s border guard personnel sought refuge in Bangladesh. So far a total of 285 individuals have taken shelter in our country. We are currently negotiating for their return. We have granted the clearance for Myanmar to take back the soldiers by 22 April," said the Bangla minister on Friday.

He however informed that their return will depend on the sea conditions and overall situation there.

He also mentioned that 150 Bangladeshi citizens stranded in Myanmar will now return back.

"They will return by the  ships arranged for repatriation," he added.

On 15 February, a total of 330 Myanmar border guard personnel, who fled the conflict in the Rakhine region, were repatriated to Myanmar.

The first phase of repatriation included 302 border guard personnel including four of their family members, two military personnel, 18 immigration officials and four civilians.

Combining with the second batch of 285, the total number of Myanmar armed personnel, who fled to Bangladesh, now counts as 615.