14 Myanmar border guard seek refuge in Bangladesh

At least fourteen Border Guard Police (BGP) personnel from Myanmar sought refuge in Bangladesh after facing an attack by rebel forces on Saturday. 

The personnel have taken shelter in a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) outpost located in Tumburu, Bandarban, where their weapons and ammunition have been relinquished to the BGB.

Lt Col Abdullah Al Masruque, the commander of BGB-34 Battalion in Cox’s Bazar, reported that the ongoing infighting in Myanmar has intensified, leading to members of the Myanmar security forces illegally entering Bangladeshi territory. 

As an immediate response, BGB members cordoned off the security force members, disarmed them, and confiscated their arms and ammunition.

“We are now taking steps as per international norms,” Lt Col Masruque said. 

However, the exact number of members who entered Bangladesh remains uncertain due to the volatile situation.

Locals in the affected areas reported extensive gunfire, mortar shells, and explosive rocket launcher fire between Myanmar’s security forces and the Arakan Army (AA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) along the border near the Naf River. 

This ongoing conflict has caused widespread panic among the locals, with reports of injuries, including Prabir Dhar, a 65-year-old Bangladeshi national who was shot in the hand.

In response to the escalating violence, authorities have taken precautionary measures, closing five schools in the affected areas. The sound of mortar shells and gunfire continues along the outskirts of Myanmar near the Ghumdum border area of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban.

The tense border situation has prompted around 3,000 residents from two villages along the Tumburu border in Bandarban to seek refuge elsewhere. 

Bullets and mortar shell fragments landed on the property of two Bangladeshi houses on the Tumburu border.

Shahajan Mia, a resident of the Tumburu border area, expressed the prevailing fear among the people, stating, “Massive mortar shelling is going on at the Myanmar border. As a result, people here are moving elsewhere. The people of this area are living in fear.” 

In response to the situation, Teknaf Battalion (BGB-2) Captain Lt Colonel Md Mohiuddin Ahmed assured that heightened alertness is in place near the border, and no further intrusions will be allowed. 

Deputy Commissioner of Bandarban Shah Mujahid Uddin urged residents living on the border to remain vigilant.