Photo: Messenger
The panicked Bangladeshi residents on the porous Bangladesh-Myanmar border of the conflict zone are fleeing their villages in fear of mortar shelling and indiscriminate firings between Myanmar troops Tatmadaw and Arakan Army.
As civil strife rages on between government soldiers and ethnic rebels joined by anti-coup guerrillas People's Defence Force (PDF), an armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG) in Myanmar, the tension and fear continue to skyrocket on the Bangladesh border affected by the conflict.
Several residents in the risky border region, who spoke to The Daily Messenger have reported intense fighting, and there are concerns about the use of army helicopters strafing rebel fighters, heightening worries of substantial casualties.
They said the people of 10 villages who living sleepless nights in three upazila of Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar districts. They dare not venture into their farmland and an estimated 100,000 people live in the villages.
Amid the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, another 116 injured members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP), army, customs and civilians today fled to Bangladesh through the border in Cox's Bazar's Palongkhali union for refuge after being attacked by rebels, said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
With this, the total number of fleeing members of Myanmar BGP, customs, army and civilians in Bangladesh in the last three days stood at 264.
"So far, 264 members of Myanmar BGP, army, customs and civilians have entered Bangladesh with arms and ammunition due to the ongoing clashes inside Myanmar," said BGB HQ Public Relations Officer Shariful Islam.
The wounded soldiers were admitted to Coxs Bazar Sadar Hospital and Chittagong Medical College.
The fleeing soldiers were asked to surrender and were disarmed and confined in two separate secure places.
The BGB officials denied that they were confined as prisoners of war (POW) as Bangladesh is a war with Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh civil and police administration are helping the villagers near the risky border areas to evacuate to a safer place.
Fighting between Myanmar’s junta forces and rebels has already spilled over the border, leading to casualties. Till Tuesday, 2 persons were killed and another 7 Bangladesh nationals were injured from firing across the border in Myanmar.
Palongkhali Union Chairman Gafur Uddin Chowdhury said at least 24 intruders with 4 firearms, 2 grenades and rocket launchers were caught and confined at the Union Parishad office.
The Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban district administrations have taken the initiative to evacuate risky border areas as fighting between the Myanmar military and rebels led to casualties in Bangladesh, stirring panic among residents.
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shahin Imran and Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mujahid Uddin sent the orders to the relevant upazila officials on Tuesday.
Over 100,000 people living near the border area are living in risky areas. They are being evacuated and temporarily sheltered in local schools and community centres far away from the unsafe zone. A total of 240 families have left the north Ghumdhum Union for safer places with the help of the local chairman.
"150 families from Ghumdhum union took shelter in their relatives' houses, while 30 families were evacuated to shelter centres," Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mujahid Uddin said on Tuesday.
Many villages are now abandoned by frightened people who took shelter in neighbouring villages, according to civil administration.
There has been sporadic gunfire from across the border in Myanmar near Ghumdhum Union in Bandarban’s Nakhongchhari, Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya and Palankhali, and Teknaf’s Nhila Union.
“The battle in Arakan State, Myanmar is intensifying with the passing of the day,” said Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Imran. “Bullets and mortar shells from inside Myanmar are raining down on homesteads and farmlands inside Bangladesh territory. Instructions have been given to evacuate border residents urgently.”
The members of Bangladesh Police are working with BGB to maintain law and order at the Ghumdhum border in Bandarban, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said on Tuesday.
"We have tightened security measures around the Rohingya camps. The Armed Police Battalion (APBn), along with district police, are on high alert, and BGB is actively patrolling the border. Our forces are fully supported in their duties by the local administration, BGB, and intelligence agencies," he was speaking to journalists at Rajarbagh Police Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
At Palankhali Anjuman Para border, BGB with support from local villagers has chased 65 Rohingyas who allegedly attempted to enter Bangladesh illegally.
On the other hand, the newly appointed Director General of BGB, Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui categorically said on Tuesday “Bangladesh will not allow any more
Rohingyas to enter the country,” and further stated that the border situation is now under control.
"BGB is trying to deal with the situation as humanely as possible while maintaining international relations," he remarked.
On the other hand, BGB DG has plans to visit the border today (Wednesday) to inspect the development and crisis that emerged from the conflicts in Myanmar.
International media reports suggested several more insurgent groups, some forming alliances among them, are confronting the government army in several parts of Myanmar.
The Irrawaddy news portal, published by exiled journalists reports exhaustively on the Myanmar crisis and discloses that the rebel Arakan Army (AA) has seized around 170 junta positions, including Pauktaw town near the Rakhine capital, Sittwe, and the whole of Paletwa Township.
The AA claims to have seized two Myanmar junta battalion headquarters in Mrauk U and Kyauktaw townships, Rakhine State.
The AA said it seized the Light Infantry Battalion 378 headquarters on Monday morning after several days of fighting in historic Mrauk U.
The battle-hardened rebels also seized the adjacent LIB 540 headquarters and have been attacking the LIB 377 base in the township.
The three battalions have been shelling the Mrauk U Archaeological Museum, the historic capital of the Mrauk U Kingdom, residential areas of the town and neighbouring villages nearby, according to the AA.
The AA said it overran LIB 376 headquarters in Kyauktaw Township on February 2 and other junta bases in Minbya, Kyauktaw and Mrauk U townships are under attack.
Clashes continue in Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Ramree and Ann townships amid regime bombardments from air and sea.
In the latest development, nine member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) including three permanent members have called on the Myanmar junta to cease its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and release all political prisoners including President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
UNSC members the US, the UK, France, Japan, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ecuador and Malta issued the joint statement on Monday ahead of the council’s closed-door meeting on Myanmar. The nine countries are among 15 permanent and rotating members of the UNSC.
Messenger/Disha
