Burmese languish in Bangla jails

[mizzima@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Burmese languish in Bangla jails

The Asian Age (New Delhi)
October 10, 2000

Cox?s Bazar, Bangladesh: More than 500 Burma nationals have served full
sentences in Bangladesh jails but are still languishing behind bars, a
senior official said on Monday.

They are in jail because military-ruled Burma refuses to take them back
and they would be arrested as illegal immigrants into Bangladesh if
freed.

Pulin Bihari Dev, deputy commissioner of Cox?s Bazar district, bordering
Burma, said many of those in jail came from west Burma?s Muslim-majority
Arakan province.

In all, more than 2000 Burma nationals were in Bangladeshi jails, he
said, for illegally crossing into the country or smuggling. (Reuters)