YANGON (AFP) – More than 110 Rohingya from war-torn western Myanmar were arrested as they tried to flee the country to Malaysia, a local security source told AFP yesterday.
The mainly Muslim Rohingya are seen in Myanmar as interlopers from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship and require permission to travel.
Fifty-nine men and 58 women were arrested from two trucks in Thanbyuzayat township in eastern Mon state on Tuesday, according to the local security source, who declined to be named as he was not permitted to talk to the media.
The source said the group was headed for Malaysia via Thailand.
According to initial reports, the group travelled first by boat from Sittwe and Maungdaw in Rakhine state and were later picked up by traffickers in Thanbyuzayat for the onward journey to Thailand before being abandoned.
In recent weeks, fighting between the junta and ethnic armed group the Arakan Army (AA) has rocked swathes of Rakhine state, displacing tens of thousands.
The military has since closed highways and banned water travel in the riverine state.
