114 more Myanmar men including army flee to Bangladesh

114 more people including members of army, Border Guard Police (BGP) and government officials from Myanmar have fled into Bangladesh amid fighting between the insurgent groups including the Arakan Army and the country's government troops, raising the total number of escapees to 229 since Sunday.

They crossed the Rahmater Beel border in Palongkhali union parishad of Ukhiya upazila, Cox’s Bazar around 9:00am on Tuesday. They took shelter at Border Guard Bangladesh’s (BGB) Rahamater Beel outpost.

BGB sources said an identification process was underway.

Palongkhali union parishad chairman Gafur Uddin Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that fighting has intensified inside Myanmar and sound of explosions are reverberating in the border area. Many BGP members are fleeing into Bangladesh via the Rahmater Beel border, and BGB members have seized arms and ammunition of the fleeing people.

Eight Rohingya also infiltrated into Bangladesh territory early on Tuesday and they are also in the custody of BGB, he added.

Many BGP members who fled to Bangladesh were also injured.

Nine injured BGP member received treatment at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, and four of them were shifted to Chattogram on Monday night, Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital resident medical officer (RMO) Md Ashiqur Rahman said.