UN confirms boat people rescued by Myanmar are Bangladeshi
The United Nations has announced that the 208 boat people who were saved by the Myanmar authorities and are being held near border were from Bangladesh.
In a statement issued after UN special adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar's visit in Rakhine State on May 22, the UN also said there might be more migrants stranded at sea and urged Myanmar to continue its search and rescue operations.
The 208 boat people are now at Ale Than Kyaw village, Maungdaw Township, near the border of Bangladesh.
In the statement, the agency said it had discussed with Myanmar the issues of smuggling, human trafficking and irregular migration which affect Myanmar and the region. The UN said it supported Myanmar’s efforts to address and control the issues at a national and region level.
The Myanma Radio and Television (MRTV) stated that the boat people were from the Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong and northern Dhaka.
Investigations suggested they intended to head to Thailand and then Malaysia but now they wanted to return home.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs director-general, Htin Lynn, told the MRTV: "This is just temporary assistance to them. Both countries are discussing the issue. We will repatriate them to their country. This is just temporary assistance and we won’t help them in the long term. Undoubtedly, there are human traffickers behind the scenes. We will cooperate with the region and other organisations to control these issues."
According to the MRTV, Myo Myint Than, Myanmar ambassador to Bangladesh, told the Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Ministry to take back the boat people on May 24. Six staff members from the Bangladesh embassy in Yangon and consular office in Sittwe, the capital city of Rakhine State, have been handling the case.
