Dhaka:  A total of 727 migrants who had reportedly been picked up by Myanmar Navy off the country’s southern coast, were taken to Maungdaw in Myanmar on Wednesday, five days after the incident.

Major Abu Russel Siddique, additional director of BGB-42 Battalion, Teknaf, said the Myanmar Navy took the migrants to the Maungdaw through the River Naf in Cox’s Bazar.

He said Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) confirmed Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) about moving the migrants.

However, the BGB has been put on high alert following the incident.

Earlier, on Friday, Myanmar Navy has seized a boat packed with 727 people off the country’s southern coast- just a week after it picked up about 200 in its first such operation.

The emigrants were reportedly Bangladeshis and Myanmar authorities have threatened to send them across the border to Bangladesh.

Myanmar describes its persecuted Rohingya Muslim community, numbering around 1.3 million, as ‘Bengalis’. Most have no citizenship and are considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Around 3,500 migrants, mainly Rohingya from Myanmar or economic migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have come ashore in Southeast Asia in recent weeks in an ongoing migrant crisis.

The UNHCR estimated on Wednesday around 2,000 more are still trapped at sea, heaping pressure on both countries to take back the migrants and improve living conditions to stem the outflow.

US Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard, who visited camps housing Rohingya refugees in western Indonesia in recent days, confirmed this latest boat was expected to arrive on Wednesday.

‘The Burmese (Myanmar) authorities would be then responsible for what happens to people on that boat,’ she told reporters in Jakarta.

‘My understanding is that if they are from Bangladesh, there will be a quick arrangement with the government of Bangladesh to return their citizens to them.’

She added, ‘We are following this very closely because we want to make sure any of the innocent people on the boat get proper treatment and are handled humanely.’

She reiterated the US wanted the Rohingya treated as citizens of Myanmar, and would continue pressuring the government in Naypyidaw as it continues its transition to democracy and prepares for elections later this year.

The plight of the Muslim group has come under scrutiny as the migrant crisis has unfurled across in Southeast Asia, after a Thai crackdown on people smuggling threw the multi-million dollar industry into disarray, leading gangmasters to abandon their victims on land and at sea.

US President Barack Obama has recently joined calls urging Myanmar to end discrimination against the Rohingya minority.

The crisis began earlier this year when Thailand cracked down on overland migrant routes, forcing people smugglers to use sea routes instead.

Thousands of migrants are thought to be stranded at sea, trying to head south to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.