Cox’s Bazar: Patrol teams of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) sent back five boats carrying Rohingya Muslims into Myamar from the zero point of Bangladesh border in River Naf at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar.

BGB officials said the boats were spotted during patrols at three points on the river in Teknaf Upazila and were stopped while trying to enter Bangladeshi water from Thursday evening till Friday morning.

Teknaf BGB-2 Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Abu Jar Al Jahid said each of the boats was carrying around 10 to 15 Rohingyas fleeing violence in Myanmar.

Around 21,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, said an official of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

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.