Bangladesh protests to Myanmar over refugee

BANGLADESH has protested to Myanmar over a new influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state after clashes between security forces and an insurgent group, an official said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministr y summoned Myanmar’s ambassador late on Tuesday to protest over the arrivals from Rak hine, a lready notorious follow ing a militar y clampdown on Muslim Rohingya in August 2017 which sent more than 700,000 people across the border.

The new arrivals are from Rakhine Buddhist and other tribal groups, a senior foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity, without giving a figure.

“The number is increasing. Some people are already waiting on t he border a nd t hey may also enter. We have asked them [Myanmar] to take effective and urgent steps so that violence is stopped,” the official said.

A Bangladesh border guard official said the refugees had crossed in a remote hill area of Bandarban distr ict in the southeast of the country.

Bangladesh is already struggling to cope with the 740,000 Rohingya Muslims who arrived after August 2017, adding to 300,000 who had fled earlier violence in Rakhine.

Now R a k h i n e ’s e t h n i c majorit y, who are Buddhist, are in conf lict wit h t he army they helped to drive out the Roh i ng y a ju st 18 mont h s ago.

On January 4, the Arakan Army (AA), a militant group calling for greater autonomy for Rakhine, killed 13 people in raids on police border posts.

The army says 13 militants have been killed in reprisal attacks while the UN says at least 5,200 people have been displaced by the violence.

An accurate death toll has been impossible to ascertain because the zone is under a near-blanket lockdown.

The f ig ht i ng has added a new, complex dimension to t he troubles in Rakhine t hat since 2012 have seen religious a nd communa l r i ot s , t he mass exodus of Rohing ya and k i l l i ngs ac r os s a l l et h n ic lines.

T he Ba ng l ade s h pr ote st came after Holly wood supersta r A ngel i na Jol ie sa id on Tuesday that Myanmar must “show genuine commitment” to end v iolenc e t hat ha s d r iven t he Roh i ng y a i nto Bangladesh.

The UN is preparing to launch a new international appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look af t er the Rohingya. AFP