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Published : 15 Apr 2025, 11:54 PM
Twenty Bangladeshi teenagers, who had been detained in Myanmar nearly two years ago while attempting to travel by sea to Malaysia, have returned home to their families.
They arrived at Chattogram port on Tuesday morning aboard the naval vessel BNS Somudra Avijan.
Later, officials from the district administration handed them over to their relatives at the Chattogram Circuit House.
The teenagers are residents of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf, Ramu and Ukhiya Upazilas.
Family members said the youths had left for Malaysia without notifying them.
It was only about a month after their departure that the families learnt of their detention in Myanmar.
In 2024, the families submitted documentation through government channels seeking the return of their children.
The teenagers said many other Bangladeshis remain imprisoned in Myanmar.
They had been detained by Myanmar authorities in June 2023 while trying to reach Malaysia by sea, allegedly through a broker’s network.
Following discussions with Myanmar officials and confirmation of the teenagers' Bangladeshi citizenship, the Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar facilitated their repatriation.
The naval ship carrying them departed Myanmar’s MITT port in Yangon on Sunday and reached Chattogram on Tuesday.
After undergoing health screenings and official procedures, the returnees were handed over to representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chattogram District Administration.
At a handover ceremony, Md Kamruzzaman, the additional deputy commissioner (general) of Chattogram, said: “Before you go abroad, please check whether the agency you are going through has valid documents or not. Check whether they are listed agents for sending people abroad or not.”
He said this could be verified through the district-level manpower export office.
“Most of the people through whom they went are unregistered. They are mostly fraudsters and brokers.”
Kamruzzaman encouraged those who have been victims of such schemes to file formal complaints with their local authorities.
“We will provide the necessary government assistance through the local administration,” he said.
When asked how many Bangladeshis remain detained in Myanmar, Kamruzzaman said there was no specific information available.
The teenagers who returned on Tuesday include Zubayed Hossain Jewel, 17, Sarwar Kamal, 17, Nur Mohammad, 17, Md Fahim, 17, Abdullah, 17, Mobarak, 14, and Rabiul Alam, 17, from Teknaf; Tarek Monowar, 16, Nazim Uddin, 17, Nazrul Islam, 17, Md Khokon, 17, Mansur Alam, 16, Rafiqul Islam, 19, Azizur Rahman, 17, and Rafiqul Islam, 15, from Ramu.
Also among the returnees were Md Hashem, 17, Md Faisal, 17, and Md Asad, 13, from Ukhiya; Mohammad Helal, 16, from Moheshkhali; and Md Sajjad, 17, from Araihazar Upazila of Narayanganj.
