Cox's Bazar, May 24: A delegation of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), supposed to verify nationality of 208 migrants rescued from the sea in Myanmar, has cancelled its trip.
The trip was cancelled as the migrants' list provided by Myanmar was 'incomplete', said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials on Sunday at a press conference at Teknaf land port.
Colonel Md Khaliquzza-man, Cox's Bazar BGB sector commander, told reporters on Sunday, "The 11-member team did not go to Myanmar. We, on Sunday afternoon, received a list of 200 migrants which is incomplete. The list cited those migrants as Bangladeshis."  The list has been sent to the home ministry through BGB headquarters.
Teknaf 42 BGB acting commander Major Abu Rasel Siddique said, "Myanmar navy rescued 208 migrants adrift in the sea from the Bay of Bengal on Thursday. Border Guard Police (BGP) of Myanmar claimed that there are 200 Bangladeshis among the rescued 208."
In this context, the 11-member team led by Colonel Md Khaliquzzaman was supposed to visit Myanmar to verify whether the migrants belong to Bangladesh or not, Siddique added.
International reports have it that the 208 migrants, rescued Friday in the first ever drive by Myanmar, were Bangladeshis. Myanmar had said they would be returned "soon".
"We are ready to depart for Myanmar. We are now awaiting the green signal from Myanmar authorities," Khaliquzzaman told this correspondent.