BGB fires blanks to stop Rohingya refugees at Bandarban border

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members yesterday fired blank shots near Ghumdhum border in Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari upazila to stop the entry of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

A group of 50 Rohingya people tried to cross into Bangladesh through Tumbru border near pillar no. 32 and 33 around 5:30am, our Cox's Bazar correspondent reports quoting Lt Colonel Ali Haidar Azad Khan, commanding officer of the BGB 34 Battalion in Cox's Bazar. 

Sensing the attempt, members of the paramilitary force fired blanks to disperse them, he said.

Some Rohingya people have been trying to enter Bangladesh from Myanmar through Bandarban and Cox's Bazar borders for the last several days, the BGB official said.

BGB has strengthened vigilance along the border area, he added. 

Ghumdhum Union Parishad Chairman AKM Jahangir Aziz said the Myanmar government had recently released more than 150 Rohingya prisoners, who were trying to enter Bangladesh.

"I have heard reports of coronavirus pandemic spreading throughout Myanmar like other parts of the world. If this information is accurate, it can be a concern for us," the chairman said.

So all should be vigilant to stop unlawful entry across the border, he added.

There are currently now 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases and four deaths from the virus in Myanmar, according to worldometers.info.