Photo: Messenger
The armed conflict that has been going on for several days in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has now reached the Bangladesh border. Unable to withstand the onslaught from the insurgent Arakan Army, many members of the Border Guard Police (BGP) of Myanmar are being forced to flee and seek refuge in Bangladesh.
The Arakan Army has seized control of the border posts. Meanwhile, two Bangladeshis have died due to mortar shells fired from across the border, with several others sustaining injuries. Many Bangladeshis have evacuated the border area and relocated to safer locations out of fear. Consequently, the local administration has announced the closure of six educational institutions along the border.
In an effort to mitigate risks, traffic has been halted on some border roads. Despite the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) being on high alert at the border, the influx of people from Myanmar continues unabated, raising concerns about Bangladesh’s border security.
Diplomatic sources have indicated ongoing communication with Myanmar authorities through the embassy at an official level. Bangladesh is currently engaged in negotiations with the ruling Janta authorities in Myanmar on various issues, including Rohingya repatriation. However, discussions regarding the border issue have also been held with Myanmar’s BGP. Should any non-governmental group assume control of the border instead of the BGP, Bangladesh could potentially face a complex situation.
Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), said that no part of the border is left unprotected. Following his visit to the Tambru and Ghumdhum border areas on Wednesday, February 7, he affirmed, “The Border Out Post (BOP) has been established in such a manner that any infiltration from any direction can be detected immediately. The border situation is entirely under the control of the BGB.”
Furthermore, Major General Siddiqui emphasised, “We are diligently following the instructions of the Prime Minister, handling the situation with patience, humanity, and maintaining strong international relations. Regardless of the circumstances, no one will be permitted to enter Bangladesh illegally.”
Nevertheless, according to various sources, individuals are taking advantage of the clashes between the Arakan Army and Myanmar's security forces to enter Bangladesh. Although no official statement has been released by the Bangladeshi government regarding this matter, among those entering are Rohingya refugees, as well as members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation (ARSA), another armed rebel group in Myanmar, with whom members of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) from the mountainous regions of Bangladesh, particularly Bandarban, have connections.
A local government representative of the Ghumdhum area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Messenger, “We have also come to know through various sources that members of some armed rebel organisations from that country have entered Bangladesh using the ongoing unrest in Myanmar. They are hiding in some places in Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban. We are trying to ascertain the truth of the incident. Appropriate legal action will be taken against them if we obtain proof.”
According to reports, there are frequent casualties in clashes between rebel groups in the hilly areas. In the last month alone, six people were killed in clashes between the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) and the UPDF Democratic Party. It is alleged that they have connections with several rebel organisations in neighbouring countries. In this situation, if rebels from Myanmar somehow meet with them, there is a danger of creating more instability in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar area.
Meanwhile, 101 personnel from the country’s Border Guard Police (BGP) and the army, who fled the ongoing conflict with the insurgent group Arakan Army in Bandarban’s Naikshyongchari border, have been transferred to Hnila in Teknaf. On Thursday afternoon, February 8, they were transported from Tumbru Government Primary School in Ghumdhum to Hnila in Teknaf. Of the 328 who escaped, 228 were sheltered at Tumbru Government School.
According to the BGB, the people fleeing from Myanmar have been relocated from Ghumdhum in Naikshyongchari to Hnila in Teknaf to facilitate their repatriation. In an inter-ministerial meeting in Dhaka on Wednesday, it was decided to send back those who fled from Myanmar by sea. All repatriation activities are being conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shipping back by sea may be most convenient from Teknaf’s standpoint. For this purpose, members of various organizations including BGP, Army, Immigration, and Police, who have been sheltered in Ghumdhum, have been transferred to one of the schools in Hnila.
According to BGB sources, on Monday and Tuesday across the Ghumdhum border, the BGP and the army engaged in fierce battles with the Rakhine state’s rebel Arakan Army at the Tumbru Left Camp of the Myanmar Border Guard Police and the Dhekibaniya border post. The Arakan Army has captured two Myanmar government buildings. Earlier, on February 4, the Arakan Army captured Tumbru Camp.
Unable to withstand the fight with the Arakan Army, 330 members of the BGP and various army organisations from three establishments fled to Ghumdhum and Ukhia in Naikshyongchari. Two more escaped later, bringing the total to 330. Out of this, 228 people were given shelter in Ghumdhum.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that Myanmar’s Border Guard Police entered Bangladesh in self-defense. They entered armed but did not come to fight; they have come from a war situation. They will be sent back. Emphasising that there is no desire to engage in war with Myanmar, the Home Minister added that this does not mean the government will continue to tolerate the situation.
In this context, General Secretary of the ruling Awami League and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader, during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen, sought China’s intervention on the situation in Myanmar and the border.
Abdullah Al Ashroki, commander of BGB 34 battalion at the Ghumdhum border, said, “Those crossing the border are mainly members of Myanmar’s security forces. We have cordoned them off, disarmed them, and placed them in a safe location.” He also mentioned that measures are being taken against Myanmar nationals who have taken refuge in accordance with international norms.
Meanwhile, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP, complained during a press conference on Thursday morning that the government is unable to strongly protest against Myanmar due to a lack of diplomatic activity. He highlighted that citizens of our country have died due to mortar shells fired by other countries, yet the government did not have the courage to protest this incident due to knee-jerk foreign policy.
He further noted that the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has become unprotected in Naikshyongchari, Bandarban. There, citizens of Bangladesh are suffering from extreme insecurity, with people and weapons entering Bangladesh from neighbouring countries, threatening the country’s sovereignty.
Messenger/Disha
