Lull in fighting on Myanmar border: BGB, local officials
After fierce fighting across the border from Cox's Bazar and Bandarban between the Myanmar army and rebel group Arakan Army over the last week, officials and locals said today that the intensity of battle has reduced over the last 24 hours.
Border Guard Bangladesh Director General Maj Gen Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, who visited the Tumbru and Ghumdhum borders in Bandarban's Naikhongchhari upazila today, said, "The intensity of the firing has decreased today compared to the last two days.
"We are not hearing the sound of firing today. If it increases, we will protest the matter strongly and ensure the protection of our people."
At a press briefing at Ghumdhum today, the DG, who took charge of the paramilitary force just two days ago, said the force is on high alert to address any potential border-related incidents.
"The Myanmar government is ready to take the BGP [Myanmar's Border Guard Police] members back and we asked them to conduct the repatriation as soon as possible," he said.
"We don't want any more deaths on the border," Ashrafuzzaman added.
"The border situation is fully under control, and we are dedicated to managing it with patience, humanitarian considerations, and in a manner that respects our international obligations, as directed by the prime minister. Under no circumstances will illegal entry into Bangladesh be permitted," the BGB DG emphasised.
On Monday, a Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man were killed when a mortar shell from across the border landed and exploded at a house in Ghumdhum union of Naikhongchhari upazila.
Noor Ahmed Anwari, chairman of Whykong union parishad, said today that no major explosions or sounds of gunfire could be heard from yesterday afternoon till this evening.
However, locals remain worried after 63 more members of Myanmar forces and border guards members have taken refuge in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf through the Whykong border this afternoon.
With the newcomers, a total of 327 Myanmar forces including BGP, army personnel, and immigration officials are now taking shelter in Bangladesh, said Shariful Islam, BGB's public relations officer.
Whykong UP Chairman Anwari said the war reached areas in Myanmar, on the other side of Whykong, where a large number of Rohingyas live and raises the risk of a fresh influx.
Shafiqul Islam, member of Ghumdhum union parishad, said the situation is very calm today.
"We saw that a BGP outpost, which was taken over by the Arakan Army opposite of Tumbru Bazar [on the other side of the border], was set on fire," he added.
Kamal Hossain, chairman of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar National Representative Committee and a resident of a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya, said, "There are at least 80 families living on the Myanmar side opposite Whykong. They may face violence but we asked them to stay there at any cost."
Anwari said most Rohingyas had come to Bangladesh through this border during the influx in 2017 since the Naf river is narrow here, he said.