Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 19 March 2025 

Reports from junta-controlled newspapers on March 19 indicate that the Myanmar junta has expelled 19 Bangladeshi citizens, along with other foreign individuals involved in online scams. 

On March 18, a total of 189 foreign nationals were deported via the No. 2 Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Bridge, consisting of 19 Bangladeshis, 169 Indonesians, and one Japanese citizen. The junta claimed that the deportation process followed legal protocols while taking humanitarian issues and international relations into account. 

The handover event saw the presence of the junta’s Minister of Security and Border Affairs of the Karen State Government, alongside diplomatic representatives, including Mr. Md Fahad Pervez Bosunia from the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand, Mr. Judha Nugraha from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and First Secretary Naoto Watanabe from the Japanese Embassy in Thailand. Representatives from the Immigration Department of Tak Province in Thailand were also involved. 

The junta also disclosed that it is methodically identifying and expelling foreign individuals who unlawfully entered Myanmar via land borders, including those who traveled through neighboring nations such as Thailand. These people participated in unlawful online betting and fraudulent activities in different areas of Karen State, including Myawaddy, Shwe Kokko, Maetawthalay, Min Let Pan, and KK Park.

Also, on March 18, 180 Chinese nationals and 62 Ethiopian nationals who had illegally crossed into the KK Park area in Myawaddy were identified and apprehended. The junta announced that plans are in place to return them to their home countries at the earliest opportunity. 

The junta further disclosed that from January 30 to March 18, 2025, a cumulative total of 7,107 foreign nationals who had unlawfully entered Myanmar were identified and apprehended. 

Most of the detained persons are Chinese citizens, while others come from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nepal, Thailand, Rwanda, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Ghana, Bangladesh, Japan, Sri Lanka, numerous African countries, Tunisia, Algeria, Congo, Cameroon, and Chinese Taipei.

Of these, 4,191 people were repatriated to their countries through Thailand, following legal protocols. 

The other 2,916 persons are pending deportation while receiving appropriate care.