Cox’s Bazar: The Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) pushed back four more boats carrying Rohingyas who were trying to enter Bangladesh through three border points of River Naf in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf fleeing torment in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

BGB 2 Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Abu Jar Al Jahid told NTV Online BGB members have sent back four boats filled with Myanmar refugees from three points of River Naf, while the troopers were patrolling in the border since Sunday evening until early Monday.

Each of the boats was carrying around 12 Rohingya Muslims, said the BGB CO.

In past few weeks, Bangladeshi border guards have prevented more than 1,000 Rohingya, including many women and children, from entering the country by boat, officials told AFP.

At least 30,000 have been internally displaced in Rakhine and many have tried to reach Bangladesh over the last month despite heightened border patrols, and sought refuge amongst the Rohingya refugee population that already live on the Bangladesh side.

Violence in Rakhine — home to the stateless ethnic group loathed by many of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority — has surged in the last month after security forces poured into the area following a series of attacks on police posts blamed on local militants.

A UN official said last week Myanmar is engaged in ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims, as reports emerged of troops shooting at villagers as they tried to flee.

However, Myanmar’s new civilian government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has rejected the allegations.