Bangladesh tightens borders as thousands of Rohingya flock from Myanmar

The influx of refugees from Myanmar has been growing as fighting escalates between government forces and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Rohingya insurgent group operating in northern Rakhine state, Myanmar.

"Thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh and many are waiting to cross the border. The situation is very bad," a Bangladeshi foreign ministry official said.

Myanmar police stand guard in Maungdaw, Rakhine. Photo: Reuters

The new arrivals add to the number of more than one million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar district after fleeing violence in Myanmar since 2017.

The number of people arriving at the refugee camp has doubled since Bangladeshi authorities estimated earlier this month, despite repeated claims that Bangladesh cannot take in more Rohingya refugees because of depleted resources.

“Vigilance at the border has increased, but managing the 271-km border with Myanmar remains a challenge, especially without counter-security forces on the other side,” another senior official said.

The official said many Rohingya were desperate and trying to cross the border into Bangladesh.

A Bangladeshi foreign ministry official said the Bangladesh government has yet to make a decision on whether to register new arrivals living in refugee camps.

The head of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has called for the rapid resettlement of Rohingya in third countries as a long-term solution, but a foreign ministry official said progress was limited.

"About 2,000 people have entered the resettlement program since it resumed in 2022 after a 12-year hiatus," he said, adding that the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland were among the countries taking in refugees.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bangladesh-siet-chat-bien-gioi-khi-hang-nghien-nguoi-rohingya-tiep-tuc-chay-sang-tu-myanmar-post311826.html