Myanmar's military activity along the border

We are deeply concerned at the events taking place along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Myanmar deployed a few hundred soldiers near the border fence defying international law. Bangladesh has rightly protested this brazen act and told its counterpart that it would adversely affect bilateral relations and the Rohingya repatriation process. However, we regard the protest inadequate and expect the government to ramp up its diplomatic efforts to resolve the matter.

In light of the fact that the two countries have been actively working on sending the refugees back, Myanmar's provocative act would certainly exacerbate an already complicated situation. The implications of this aggressive behaviour might well be too severe to overcome because such hostility not only contradicts the repatriation deal reached between the two countries but also the basic norms of bilateral relations.

We are not convinced at all by the rationale behind the troop movement given by Myanmar that it was a response to new intelligence about "terror" activity along the border. The site hosts a few thousand unarmed and impoverished refugees. The information cited by Myanmar's authority has not been substantiated by any other sources. The troop movement on such a flimsy ground is, therefore, outrageous given the fact that the international law clearly prohibits such activity along the border.

We also note that Myanmar's military activity came at a moment when a security advisor to the US President Donald Trump arrived in Bangladesh on an official visit. As the US State Department monitors the situation, we expect the American administration, as well as the international community, to stand by Bangladesh's side at this moment of uncertainty and send Myanmar a clear message that its troops must be pulled back and similar behaviour would not be tolerated in the future. Myanmar's audacious conduct must not be left unchallenged.