BGB warns Myanmar
A day after receiving the body of Nayek Mizanur Rahman, Border Guard Bangladesh yesterday warned Myanmar of instant “befitting response” if such incidents of firing and killing take place in future.
Tension is still running high at Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Painchhari of Naikkhangchhari in Bandarban since the attack on a BGB team on Wednesday.
“We want a friendly relationship with all bordering countries. But if they [Myanmar Border Guard Police] attack again, BGB will give befitting response immediately,” the BGB's Chittagong region commander Brig Gen Syed Ahmed Ali said in a briefing yesterday.
The briefing was organised after the body of Mizanur, who was killed in the unprovoked attack of Myanmar border guards on Wednesday, reached the Naikkhangchhari BGB camp yesterday afternoon.
Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) shot him and then reportedly intruded into Bangladesh territory to take his body away. On Friday, they attacked another BGB team there triggering a gun battle.
“They [BGP] must answer why they made such an attack,” the region commander said, adding that they would talk about it at the flag meeting with BGP scheduled for June 5 at Bangdhu district of Myanmar.
Brig Gen Syed Ahmed Ali said the family of Mizanur would get government facilities as per the rules and an additional Tk 5 lakh from BGB.
After police inquest, the body of Mizanur was taken to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for an autopsy.
It will be taken to the BGB camp of Naikkhangchhari where the first namaz-e-janaza will be held at 9:00am today, BGB Cox's Bazar Sector Commander Col Khandakar Farid Hasan told The Daily Star.
Mizanur, son of a martyred freedom fighter, will be laid to rest at his home village Bholanagar in Debidwar upazila of Comilla today with the highest BGB honour after his second namaz-e-janaza there.
Government and BGB high officials are expected to attend the janaza.
Mizanur is expected to get the highest BGB award.
Meanwhile, Myanmar deployed its army alongside their border police at the border while the BGB had reinforcement with heavy weapons since the skirmish on Wednesday.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said Myanmar had assured Bangladesh of withdrawing its army deployed along the Naikkhangchhari border soon.
Talking to reporters following a meeting at his secretariat office, he also said the killing of the BGB nayek on Wednesday and the firing on a BGB team on Friday were due to some misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday said, “Tension in the border has already cooled down … we are carrying forward regular activities with Myanmar. Things with Myanmar are moving on as usual.”
He said a delegation led by the director general of BGB would go to Myanmar on June 9 to have discussions with the Myanmar side.
He also said the foreign office consultations between Bangladesh and Myanmar would be held in Dhaka on 18 June and the issues would be discussed at length there.
Our correspondents in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and our diplomatic correspondent contributed to this report.
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