Kaladan News

Date: Monday, August 03, 2004

A Couple of Bride and Bridegroom Crossed the Burma-Bangladesh Border

Chittagong, August 03: A couple of bride and bridegroom have crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border after failing to get their marriage permission from the Nasaka (Burmese-Border Security Force) due to unable to manage bribe money, according to our correspondent from Teknaf.

The bridegroom Kamal Ahmed, 25, son of Julu Meah and the Bride Sobora, 19, daughter of late Abdul Khalek, both of them hail from Khoirmora Para of Buthidaung Township in Arakan State, our correspondent further said.

The bridegroom and bride were deeply in love with each other since two years back. So, both of the parents are responsible for overseeing their love affairs and they agreed to make an engagement. After the engagement, both of the parents jointly submitted an application to the Nasaka for marriage permission on July 7, 2003, according to bridegroom.

Regarding this, on July 9, 2003, both sides of the parents including bride and bridegroom were called to the Nasaka camp to make inquiries. They were investigated so many kinds of questions even some were not concerned to the marriage purposes. Some questions were deliberately asked to humiliate them, the bridegroom further added.

The bride said, “Nasaka demands Kyat 70,000/- from us for marriage permission. But, our parents cannot able to manage that amount of money because of the father of the bridegroom is a poor farmer and my mother is also a poor widow.”

Besides, we have extra expenditure for marriage purpose such as food for wedding ceremony, clothes for new couple, ornaments for bride and others. So, these also made our parents further difficulties in our marriage while they have no jobs, no earning sources and no freedom of movements, the bride further added.

On 16^th July 2004, as above consequences, the bride and bridegroom, crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border without given any knowledge to their parents, relatives and reached at Teknaf, a border town of Bangladesh. After their arrival at Teknaf, they went to makeshift refugee camp of Teknaf and stayed there.

On 18^th July 2004, they were married at the refugee camp with the cooperation of some refugees in the camp according to the Islamic law. After living there only 5 days, the new couple left the refugee camp hoping better life out of the camp, the source from Teknaf said.

Like this, other new couples from Burma had entered the Bangladesh and met with so many difficulties and passing their life with uncertainty, source further added. ##

For more information, please contact at:

Phone: +880 11 227 138

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.kaladanpress.org