Fighting in Myanmar: Balukhali rocked by sounds of gunshots, blasts

The people of Balukhali in Teknaf's Whykong woke up to the sounds of gunfire and explosions early yesterday.

Sirajul Mostafa, a member of Whykong Union Parishad, said people living near the border are now in panic again due to the fresh round of what appeared to be intense fighting in Myanmar.

He said the sounds were heard between 7:00am and 10:00am.

Locals said over the past four to five days, they heard sporadic gunshots across the border. Those were nothing like what happened yesterday morning, they said.

The situation along the border in Palangkhali Union was more or less calm yesterday, except for some sounds of gunshots from far away inside Myanmar, said Gafur Chowdhury, chairman of the union.

He added that black smoke was seen inside Myanmar around noon.

"Out of fear, farmers did not tend to their fields and fishermen did not go out to fish," he said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Tumbru and Ghumdhum border was calm, said Shafiqul Islam, a member of Ghumdhum Union Parishad in Naikhongchhari of Bandarban.

"We heard gunshots far away inside Myanmar," he added.

Over the last few weeks, fierce fighting just across the border left the people of Ghumdhum, Palangkhali, and Whykong in panic. Many had to take shelter elsewhere leaving their homes.

There have also been numerous instances of mortar shells and bullets landing in Bangladesh.

On February 5, a woman and a Rohingya man were killed and a child was injured after a mortar shell from across the border exploded in Ghumdhum.

At least 330 members of the Myanmar army and border police and customs fled the conflict and took refuge in Bangladesh.