Dhaka: A report by The Diplomat has revealed that members of non-Muslim ethnic communities from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have been fleeing violence and migrating to Myanmar's Chin and Rakhine states for years. The CHT is home to around 850,000 people belonging to 11 ethnic groups, many of whom follow Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism.
Several families told the magazine that migration increased under different governments in Bangladesh due to land encroachment, threats, abductions, and insecurity. Htwe Sein Maung, a Marma Buddhist farmer from Bandarban district, said he left Bangladesh in 2014 along with 15 other families after settlers from other parts of the country allegedly occupied land near their village, burned paddy fields, and restricted movement.
He claimed villagers faced harassment and police failed to act despite repeated complaints. The families later settled in Myanmar's Maungdaw district, where they now survive through farming and daily wage work.
Another Marma resident, Tan Nu Sein, moved from Rangamati district to Myanmar in 2013 after several girls from her village reportedly disappeared within six months. One of them, her 16-year-old niece, was allegedly forced into marriage. Villagers also faced threats and assaults from neighbouring settlements. (IANS)
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