Dhaka, Nov 01: Border troops were on alert against a possible influx of Muslim refugees from Myanmar, officials said today. Local media reports said that minority Muslims in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have recently been attacked by that country's military. The reports could not be verified independently.

Several thousand Muslims have gathered along the border in Myanmar's western Arakan province, and they may try to cross into Bangladesh, officials said quoting intelligence reports.

"Muslim refugees have fled here in the past," said Saifuddin Ahmed, the administrator in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, which borders Myanmar. "So we don't take any chance whenever we see reports that they may come again."

Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation, is separated from Myanmar by the River Naaf.


Nearly 250,000 Muslims from Arakan fled to Bangladesh's southern Teknaf coast in 1990-91, accusing Myanmar's military of torture and forced labour.
Most of the refugees have returned home over the years under UN, but nearly 22,000 still need to be repatriated.

Bureau Report