A total of 173 Bangladeshis have returned home after serving different jail terms in Myanmar prisons.
A Bangladesh Navy ship carrying these Bangladeshis from the Myanmar naval ship Chin Dwin in the deep sea, arrived at Nuniarchara dock in Cox's Bazar at around 1:30pm on Wednesday.
Of the 173 returnees, 129 are from the Cox’s Bazar district, 30 from Bandarban, seven from Rangamati, and one each from Khagrachhari, Noakhali, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Rajbari, Narsingdi, and Nilphamari districts.
According to sources from the Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon, among them, at least 144 of them have already served full terms in a Myanmar prison while, 29 of them were pardoned by the Myanmar government through a negotiation by the Bangladesh mission.
Saimum Sarwar Kamal, the Jatiya Sangsad Whip and Member of Parliament for Cox's Bazar 3 Constituency, arrived at the spot around 11am.
Meanwhile, Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police Md Mahafuzul Islam has said that the BGB will hand them over to the police after verification. The process of reuniting them with their relatives will be facilitated through the respective police stations.
Earlier, at around 11am on Wednesday, a Myanmar delegation arrived in Cox's Bazar.
Upon reaching Cox's Bazar, the delegation proceeded by car from the dock to Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban, where 285 members of the Myanmar Army and Border Guard Police (BGP), who had sought refuge in Bangladesh amid fighting between junta forces and rebels, awaited them.
Among the 285 Myanmar Army and BGP, 24 fled to Bangladesh on April 19, 64 members on April 16, 14 on April 14, three on March 30, and 177 BGP and army personnel on March 1.
The delegation is scheduled to return to Myanmar with the 285 members on Thursday morning by the Myanmar ship that transported these Bangladeshis.
It is mentionable that, another 330 individuals, who sought refuge in Bangladesh in different times due to the conflict, were sent back to Myanmar on February 15.
Meanwhile,the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a press briefing will provide detailed information regarding the acceptance of the returned Bangladeshis and the repatriation of the 285 individuals.