Two members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) along with 31 Rohingyas have taken shelter in Saint Martin amid ongoing clashes between the Myanmar army and rebel forces.
The armed BGP members and Rohingyas reached Saint Martin Island on Friday morning (5 July), via a wooden boat and surrendered to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seeking refuge.
They are now under the supervision of the BGB, confirmed Saint Martin Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury said, “BGB and the Coast Guard Bangladesh have strengthened their presence in the border guard area and Naf River to prevent further infiltration of Rohingyas.”
Sources from BGB said the Rohingya boat was originally scheduled to head for Sittwe from Maungdaw in Myanmar. On their way, the radar malfunctioned, forcing them to land on Saint Martin. Due to heavy rain and the boat being damaged, BGB decided not to push the boat back.
The surrendered BGP members include one captain and one sergeant. They were armed with one rifle, one pistol, three hand grenades, four rifle magazines, two pistol magazines, 120 rounds of rifle ammunition, and 40 rounds of pistol ammunition.
Among the surrendered Rohingya members are 10 men, 10 women, and 11 children.
