October 8, 2016
Three boats carrying Bangladeshi Rakhines have docked in Hansar Bil, Maungdaw North.
The boats docked at around 8pm on Friday. Sources say the Rakhines crossed from the Teknaf region of Bangladesh.
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of Bangladeshi Rakhines crossing the border from both the Teknaf and Bandarban region. Many of them have settled in the regions, courtesy of nationalist politicians and the local government that has given them land, much of which belonged to Rohingya Muslims before the 2012 riots.
The migrating Rakhines allege poverty and religious discrimination in Bangladesh. However, local politicians say the Rakhines are the rightful owners of the land, and should gradually replace the Muslim populations especially in Maungdaw and Buthidaung township. In exchange, they say, the Muslims should be pushed out to Bangladesh, from where they have illegally migrated.
The arrival of Bangladeshi Rakhines have spread panic, as some of them are known to be in close cohorts with nationalist gangs responsible for much of the anti-Muslim violence.P
Photo: Saydur Rahman
