[🇧🇩] Insurgencies in Myanmar. Implications for Bangladesh

[Saif]

Hundreds of Rohingyas await to enter Bangladesh

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

Hundreds of Rohingyas await to enter Bangladesh
22 Apr 2024, 12:00 am
Staff Reporter :

Thousands of Rohingyas have sought refuge along the banks of the Naf River on the Myanmar side, waiting to cross into Bangladesh amidst escalating conflict between the military junta and rebel factions in the Arakan region.

Sources report that Myanmar is in turmoil due to the ongoing warfare between the junta and armed rebel groups.

According to reports, hundreds of Rohingya men, women, and children have gathered on the banks of the Naf River near Teknaf, attempting to enter Bangladesh.

In response, law enforcement authorities are taking stringent measures to prevent Rohingya infiltration into Bangladesh.

Law enforcement is maintaining a vigilant watch both day and night to ensure tight security.

Despite these efforts, locals claim that several Rohingyas have managed to clandestinely enter Bangladesh.

It's estimated that around 2,000 Rohingyas are seeking to enter Bangladesh, hiding in various areas along the border.

Additionally, there have been instances of pushback after the detention of some Rohingyas arriving by boat. This situation has persisted along the border for several days.

Sources said several thousand Rohingyas have come and taken shelter in different places on Shahporir Island since April 11, (the night of Eid).

They took shelter with their relatives in Rohingya camps. However, BGB claims that they are not aware of any Rohingya infiltration.

Meanwhile, pushbacked Rohingya claims, this time, along with the Myanmar army, the Arakan Army (AA), the armed forces of the Mugads, have attacked the Muslim minority in Rakhine. They are trying to move away as the conflict escalates.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard held a Rohingya-laden boat carrying 26 people while infiltrating along the Golapara Jhowban near the Naf River on Shahparir Island on Tuesday.

A Coast Guard official confirmed this information and said that the Rohingyas who infiltrated will be pushed back after verification.

According to Rohingya sources, several thousand Rohingyas are currently hiding in Mandipara Char across the Naf River, trying to enter Bangladesh through Shahparir Island. Sensing the opportunity, they are waiting to infiltrate.

Locals said there was a movement of suspects in the Jhowbagan and Kachubaniya remote fields of Teknaf Shahparir Island. Local people usually avoid going there because of the remoteness and poor communication system.

BGB members are not easily seen patrolling there. Rohingyas are trying to enter Bangladesh by choosing this difficult route.

Meanwhile, local people said that some Rohingyas have entered by getting help from four brokers on Shahparir Island. They alleged that the brokers take Tk 20,000 to 25,000 per person.

Most of the fleeing Rohingyas are residents of Buthedong village in Rakhine. Several of them are from some villages in Mangdu.​

 

[Saif]

JS body fears Myanmar border situation may deteriorate

The ongoing tense situation in Myanmar, bordering Bangladesh’s Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar, is likely to worsen next month, and as a result, more Rohingya people and...

www.newagebd.net

JS body fears Myanmar border situation may deteriorate
Staff Correspondent 28 April, 2024, 23:53

The ongoing tense situation in Myanmar, bordering Bangladesh's Bandarban and Cox's Bazar, is likely to worsen next month, and as a result, more Rohingya people and Myanmar nationals could attempt to infiltrate into Bangladesh, the Jatiya Sangsad standing committee on home ministry observed.

Such apprehension was expressed in a report placed in the meeting of the committee held in the parliament building on Sunday.

The report presented on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border situation said that by May 2024, the conflict situation in the region bordering Teknaf was likely to deteriorate further, several JS officials confirmed New Age.

'This could lead to increased attempts by the Rohingya people and members of Myanmar Border Police to enter Bangladesh,' the report stated.

The report highlighted the risks faced by Bangladesh due to the worsening situation along the Myanmar border.

The risks include influx of Myanmar nationals, including Rohingya, security threat along the unprotected land and marine borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar, smuggling of Rohingya rations, drug trading, subversive activities by terrorist groups, and the smuggling of firearms.

The report said that the Arakan Army could try to destabilise the Chittagong Hill Tracts area by taking advantage of its affinity with local ethnic communities.

According to meeting insiders, in the previous meeting of the committee, the senior secretary of the public security department of the home ministry mentioned that effective action was not taken against the culprits after the Bayley Road fire.

Referring to the Bayley Road fire incident, he said that often a crackdown starts after an incident before everything becomes business as usual within a short time.

According to the press release of the Parliament Secretariat, the committee has recommended action against juvenile gangs in addition to urging everyone to come forward to eliminate drugs.

In the meeting, the committee recommended that all forces under the home ministry should be more aware and vigilant in maintaining law and order.

Committee members and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Shamsul Alam Dudu, Samil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, Moyj Uddin Sharif, Sanowar Hossain, Chayan Islam, Md Saddam Hossain,

and Hasina Bari Chowdhury attended the meeting presided over by committee chairman Benjir Ahmed.​

 

[Saif]

Three Bangladeshis injured in mine explosions along Myanmar border in Bandarban

Three Bangladeshis have been injured in two separate incidents of landmine explosions at Naikhongchhari in Bandarban along the Myanmar border. Two people were injured in the first blast near border pillar No. 47 in the Fultali area on Saturday night and the second explosion in the same area injure

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Three Bangladeshis injured in mine explosions along Myanmar border in Bandarban
Published :
May 05, 2024 20:30
Updated :
May 05, 2024 20:30

Three Bangladeshis have been injured in two separate incidents of landmine explosions at Naikhongchhari in Bandarban along the Myanmar border.

Two people were injured in the first blast near border pillar No. 47 in the Fultali area on Saturday night and the second explosion in the same area injured a third person on Sunday morning, said Nurul Absar Emon, chairman of Naikhongchhari Sadar Union Council.

All of them crossed the border into Myanmar illegally to bring cattle, Absar said.

The injured are Md Rafique from Ramu in Cox's Bazar, Mohammad Abdullah of Garjania, and Rashid Ahmed of Kachchhapia, reports bdnews24.com.

One of the explosions caused the dismemberment of Abdullah's both legs. He was sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.

The two others were transferred to Cox's Bazar District Hospital.

Md Ashikur Rahman, resident medical officer of the district hospital, said one of the injured was brought in a critical condition on Saturday night and the other on Sunday morning.

Saber Ahmed, member of Naikhongchhari Sadar Union, said Border Guard Bangladesh strengthened security along the border.

Bangladeshis experienced casualties in mine blasts along the Myanmar border several times in the recent years amid intense fighting between the Myanmar military and rebels in the Rahine state.​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar armed group captures hundreds of junta personnel

A Myanmar ethnic armed group said on Monday it had captured a military command and taken hundreds of junta personnel prisoner in...

www.newagebd.net

Myanmar armed group captures hundreds of junta personnel
Agence France-Presse . Bangkok 07 May, 2024, 00:36

A Myanmar ethnic armed group said on Monday it had captured a military command and taken hundreds of junta personnel prisoner in western Rakhine state, the latest blow to the military.

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the junta's 2021 coup.

The military still holds the state capital Sittwe but AA fighters have seized territory in surrounding districts, including bases on the border with India and Bangladesh.

A video released by the AA's media channel said the group had captured 'Military Operations Command 15' near the town of Buthidaung, around 90 kilometres north of Sittwe.

The video did not say when its fighters had captured the site but local media have reported regular clashes around Buthidaung in recent days.

'The video record of the deputy commander of MOC 15 after a certain period of siege,' read a message published in Burmese, Chinese and English.

After a 'final assault' the junta troops had 'faced total defeat and surrendered,' it said.

Images showed a long line of men, some wearing what appeared to be military uniforms, walking single file through a field.

Some were in shorts and T-shirts and sandals while others were not wearing any footwear. Some shots showed women and children accompanying the men.

One man with a bandage around his knee was limping and some were being carried in makeshift stretchers.

The video also showed around 200 people sitting in rows in a clearing and men in uniform and guns watching over them.

AFP has attempted to contact a junta spokesman for comment.

The AA is one of several armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar's border regions, many of whom have battled the military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources.

The AA claims to be fighting for more autonomy for the state's ethnic Rakhine population.

In 2019 clashes between the AA and the military roiled the region and displaced around 2,00,000 people.

In 2017 the military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya minority there that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case.

Since the November outbreak, fighting had spread to 15 of Rakhine state's 17 townships, the UN's human rights chief said last month.

Hundreds have been killed or wounded and more than 3,00,000 displaced, it said.​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar conflicts hinder repatriation of Rohingyas

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

Myanmar conflicts hinder repatriation of Rohingyas
6 May 2024, 12:00 am

Staff Reporter :

The ongoing conflict between the Myanmar Army and Arakan Army forces continues to impede the establishment of a safe environment for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees who sought shelter in Bangladesh in 2017.

The intensity of the fighting has led to Myanmar Army personnel seeking refuge across the border in Bangladesh to ensure their safety, as they reportedly struggle to withstand the attacks from the Arakan forces.

On Sunday, a group of 88 members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) crossed into Bangladesh through the Teknaf border, armed and seeking protection from the fierce clashes.

They surrendered to the Teknaf Coast Guard at the Shahparir and Nazirpara border areas, as confirmed by Lt. Tahsin Rahman, a media official of Coast Guard Chattogram (East).

Lt. Rahman stated, "The surrendered BGP members would be handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) soon."

The official further added that they are ready for any situation along the border.

Mohammad Islam, a local resident, said, "We have been hearing gunfire from within Myanmar and witnessing the influx of BGP members seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

Additionally, we have also heard that there are reports of Rohingyas attempting to enter Bangladesh through the border."

Previously, a total of 618 members of the BGP and Myanmar military were sent back to their countries twice. Of these, 288 BGP military personnel were repatriated on April 25 and 330 on February 15 by Bangladesh.

Despite numerous attempts, the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to their homes in Rakhine State has not been implemented, even six years after the initial displacement in 2017.

The international community has always vowed to create a safe, durable, and sustainable environment before commencing any repatriation process.

Even a group of Rohingya individuals who visited Rakhine last year reported that they did not find a safe environment for their return. Though China is mediating to resolve the crisis through the repatriation process, several tripartite meetings were also held, including the Kunming meeting in April last year.

However, Western countries, which are funding assistance for the Rohingyas, have expressed concerns about the lack of a favourable environment in Rakhine and the reluctance of the Rohingyas to return amid the volatile atmosphere. Even the United Nations said that repatriation of the Rohingyas amid a volatile situation would not be correct until a favourable condition prevailed there.

In recent months, fierce fighting between the Myanmar Army and Arakan Army has intensified, creating an atmosphere of fear along the borders. In the last several months, there has been fierce fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army, creating an environment of fear along the borders.

Many mortar shells and bullets entered Bangladeshi territory during the clashes along the borders. The local residents of Bangladesh were also evacuated to avoid any casualties.

At that time, the Myanmar Army entered Bangladesh to save their lives, although they were handed over later when the situation improved.

The trend of entering Bangladeshi territory by the Myanmar Army and BGP members, however, is not being stopped, which is a clear sign of a volatile situation there.

But the lingering of conflicts is creating a burden for Bangladesh as the Rohingya repatriation process is not yet within sight.​