Refugees fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar try to enter Bangladesh by boat. But authorities in Bangladesh are pushing the refugees back, despite a request from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

One man explained why he wished to leave Myanmar.

(SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) PETAN ALI, FROM THE TOWN OF AKIAB IN MYANMAR, SAYING:

"They killed three, four people in front of me. I got scared and thought they might kill me, so I decided to come to Bangladesh, as it's a Muslim country, in the hope that they will give us shelter."

The United States and European Union have urged calm to prevent a derailing of Myanmar's fragile reforms after four days of unrest between Buddhists and Muslims. At least eight people have been killed in Myanmar, where Buddhism is the majority religion.

Myanmar's government regards the estimated 800,000 Muslims in the country as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship. Bangladesh has refused to grant them refugee status since 1992, when tens of thousands of them flooded into the country, complaining of persecution by the Myanmar military.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters