Navy detains 28 Malaysia-bound Rohingyas from Bay

Bangladesh Navy officials have detained 28 members of the Rohingya community–who were fleeing to Malaysia illegally–from a boat near the St. Martin Island.

The Myanmar nationals–formerly residing in different Rohingya camps of Ukhiya and Taknaf–were detained by a patrol team of Bangladesh Navy’s ship Ali Haider in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday night, confirmed Sohel Azam, commander of the navy ship.

“We made a drive to the boat, which was fleeting two nautical miles northwest of St. Martin around midnight Wednesday on a tip-off,” said the navy commander.

The detainees were initially provided with medical assistance and necessary food on board. They were later handed over to St. Martin’s Coast Guard station for handing over to police, he said.

Among the Rohingya detainees, 14 are men, 12 are women, one is child while five were Bangladeshi nationals, he added.

According to the sources, they escaped from a Rohingya camp in Teknaf at 8 pm on Wednesday.

Besides the Malaysia-bound Rohingyas, the navy officials also detained ten smugglers from another boat adjacent to Chhera Dwip near St. Martin’s on the same night and recovered 3,10,000 pieces of contraband yaba pills worth Tk12 crore from their possession.