The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has detained 47 members of the Khumi ethnic community for allegedly entering Bangladesh illegally through the Thanchi border in Bandarban amid the ongoing conflict across the border in Myanmar.
The individuals crossed the Bangladesh-Myanmar border late Thursday night from several villages in the Paletwa area of Myanmar’s Chin State. On Friday afternoon, they reportedly took shelter in various homes in Hoiko Khumi Para, Ward No 5 of the remote Remakri Union in Thanchi Upazila.
Acting on information, a BGB team from the Choto Madhu Border Outpost (BOP) under the 38 BGB Battalion’s Bolipara Zone conducted an operation in Hoiko Khumi Para and detained the group. The detainees include men, women, and 11 children, bringing the total number to 47.
Local sources claim that intensified armed clashes in Myanmar’s border regions involving government forces, the Arakan Army, ARSA, and the RSO have left many Khumi families feeling insecure. As a result, some families have attempted to cross into Bangladesh in search of safety. Residents fear that more families may follow and attempt to enter through the Thanchi border.
BGB officials said the identities of the detainees and the circumstances surrounding their entry are currently being verified. Following necessary procedures, authorities plan to repatriate them to Myanmar in accordance with international border regulations.
In recent years, members of the Khumi, Khiyang, Bawm, and Rakhine Buddhist communities have entered Bangladesh through border routes following heavy fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine and Chin states.
When contacted, Thanchi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kanan Sarkar said he had not received any information regarding the detention of the 47 individuals. “If they are handed over to us, we will inform the media accordingly,” he said.