At least sixty-five Muslim individuals were arrested in Myawaddy of Kayin State, who tried to travel to Malaysia from Rakhine State with no travel documents on 1 March.

Among them 38 were women and  27 were men along with 10 children, informed Myawaddy ward-2 administrator.

They were arrested by the police and  immigration officers in Myawaddy, close to the Thailand border, as they were taking shelter at a house.

Tin Soe Aung, Myawaddy township immigration official, said, “I was told that they were going to meet relatives in Malaysia. They were planning to enter Thailand illegally and then to proceed towards Malaysia.  As nobody could speak Burmese, we had to hire a translator to talk to in Bengali.”

The detainees hail from Sittwe, Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships of northern Rakhine State.

They are prosecuted under section 63 of Immigration Act and will be sent back to Rakhine State after the sentence, added Tin Soe Aung.

Hundreds of undocumented Muslims are being arrested annually for illegally travelling to Malaysia by the land and sea route from Rakhine State. They are normally sent back after the sentence is over.