Photo: Messenger
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said that the government has not decided regarding seeking compensation from Myanmar for the dead and wounded. When asked, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Seheli Sabrin, however, could not say when Dhaka would propose Naypyidaw for compensation for the casualties.
Bangladesh earlier summoned Myanmar Ambassador U Aung Kyaw Moe to protest the death of two people – a Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man – when mortar shells fell on the Bangladesh side of the border in Tumbru.
Several other Bangladeshis were injured by mortar shells or bullets as the Myanmar Army and rebel group Arakan Army fought battles on the Arakan.
Meanwhile, there has been relative calm in the zero-line of the border with Myanmar since Wednesday night.
Several residents, according to The Daily Messenger correspondent in the Ukhiya frontier, have heard sounds of mortar shelling and gunfire at a distance far away from the border.
The correspondent quoted people across the border to have said that the rebel Arakan Army (AA) has pushed the Myanmar government troops Tatmadaw further south in Rakhine State.
TOTAL 330 MYANMAR PERSONNEL TAKE SHELTER
Until Thursday, 330 soldiers of Border Guards Police (BJP), Tatmadaw, police and others have escaped the wrath of AA and took refuge in Bangladesh in the last five days.
For administrative reasons, the 100 personnel were transferred from Tumbru to Teknaf. Another 167 personnel were sheltered in Nhila Ideal Government Primary School in Teknaf. Earlier, 66 were transferred to Nhila, said Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) spokesperson Shariful Islam.
MYANMAR TO SEND SHIPS TO REPATRIATE PERSONNEL
Regarding the repatriation of the Myanmar forces who took shelter in Bangladesh, Myanmar has agreed to send a ship to take back the personnel. Myanmar declined Bangladesh's proposal to repatriate the personnel by air.
Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said Myanmar is working to personnel will return through the sea route. The route of the ship has not been finalised.
"Our ambassador met the Myanmar foreign minister in Naypyidaw and discussed the issue of repatriating those who came this time along with the BGP members," she said.
“BGP is a regular force of the Myanmar government. They sought shelter and they surrendered their weapons to our border guards, BGB. The Myanmar government has also expressed its desire to return them to their country from the very first day,” she said while explaining the reason for sheltering them.
ROHINGYA KIDS ATTEMPT TO SELL LIVE MORTAR
Meanwhile, a group of Rohingya children by chance discovered an unexploded mortar shell in Ghumdhum union of Naikhongchari upazila on Thursday.
Anwar Islam, Ward-5 Member of Ghumdhum Union, said, "The children found the mortar shell while playing behind Mohammad Alam's house this morning. The mortar shell is believed to have been fired from Myanmar.
The most dangerous thing the children wanted to do was they tried to sell the mortar shell to a scrap trader.
Later BGB recovered the mortar shell. The bomb disposal unit of BGB took the mortar shell to a marshland, covering it with a red cloth, the Ghumdhum Union member added.
Messenger/Disha
