Burmese refugees camp in Bangladesh

Officials in Bangladesh say at least 4,000 Rohingya Muslims from neighbouring Burma have taken shelter outside a government building in Teknaaf town in the south-eastern district of Cox's Bazar.

They say the Rohingyas, who have been living in camps since Sunday, had crossed into Bangladesh illegally and were living in and around the town.

They were forced from their homes by local residents after the Bangladesh army launched an anti-crime drive a month ago.

A senior official from Teknaaf said the district administration had been informed about the fresh wave of refugees, and was waiting for a decision.

About a quarter of a million refugees fled to Bangladesh in the early 1990s to escape alleged persecution by the military authorities in Burma.

Most of them have since returned home.

But Bangladeshi officials say Rangoon is reluctant to take back the remaining refugees despite agreeing to do so.

(From the newsroom of BBC World Service)