27 more Myanmar border troops enter Bangladesh this morning fleeing heavy gunfights
The official number of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) taking refuge in Bangladesh has risen to 95 after 27 more soldiers entered Bangladesh this morning, fleeing heavy gunfights reported between the government troops and the rebels in the neighbouring country.
They have been taken to safety after the weapons they carried with them were deposited in the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) cache, BGB headquarters Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam confirmed in a press release.
Nine individuals from the Myanmar Border Guard Force (BGP) are currently receiving treatment at Cox's Bazar Sadar hospital under the supervision of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Two of them were admitted to the hospital with injuries on Sunday night, while seven were brought in Monday morning.
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They are reportedly being attended to with heightened security measures, and access to the hospital premises has been restricted for media personnel.
Ashiqur Rahman, the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital, told The Business Standard that two members of the Myanmar Border Guard (BGP) were admitted around 8pm last night, and seven more people were brought in this morning.
The condition of the two soldiers, identified as Ri Lee Thain, 22, and Ja Ni Mong, 30, admitted last night is critical, the medical officer noted.
On Sunday (4 February), BGB said that at least 68 personnel took shelter in Bangladesh throughout the day since the predawn hours. Fourteen of them crossed the border with bullet wounds and are now being treated at different hospitals, including health facilities in Rohingya camps.
However, it is still not confirmed how many of the 27 people who escaped and took refuge in Bangladesh between Sunday evening and Monday morning are injured.
"Continuous gunfire persisted on Sunday between the Arakan Army and Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) within Myanmar, along the Tambru border in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban. As a result of the conflict, 95 members of the Myanmar border troop fled across the Tumbu border with their weapons, entering Bangladesh between Sunday and Monday morning," said Shariful Islam.
"Subsequently, they sought refuge with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and were placed under custody after they were disarmed."
"Arrangements have been put in place for the medical treatment of the injured Myanmar border guards personnel," he added.
From Sunday evening until 2 am after midnight, sounds of heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard in the Dhekibaniya area of Myanmar, located across the border from Palangkhali Union in Ukhiya Upazila of Cox's Bazar. However, as of this morning, there have been no further reports of firing sounds.
Confirming the matter, Palangkhali UP Chairman Gafur Uddin Chowdhury said, "Residents in the border area have endured a sleepless night filled with fear. Although no additional gunshots were heard in the morning, an underlying sense of panic persists among the people."
Meanwhile, Ghumdhum Union's member of Ward No 1 Shafiqul Islam said that 2/3 gunshots were heard at the Tumbu border of Naikhongchhari Upazila in Bandarban on Monday morning.
Rebel factions have engaged in clashes with Myanmar's military junta since Saturday (3 February), primarily over the control of a border camp. The ongoing conflict has been marked by persistent gunfire, mortar shells, and rocket explosions.
Amidst the conflict, four Bangladeshis were reported injured as a house collapsed due to a mortar shell and a CNG autorickshaw suffered damage.
The injured Bangladeshis are identified as Prabinda Dhar, 50, Shamsul Alam, 50, Rahma Begum, 40, and Titu, 30, all residents of Tumbru Bazar Hindupara.
In response to the escalating situation, seven educational institutions have been declared closed, and the movement of vehicles has been restricted.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has advised locals to stay indoors or move cautiously for safety, especially in the southern and northern parts of Tombru, which is situated in Ghumdhum Union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban.
Officials have reported intense fighting, and there are concerns about the use of army helicopters strafing rebel fighters, heightening worries of substantial casualties.
Bangladesh had previously ordered an extra security vigil on the border with Myanmar given the gunfights between the Myanmar military and the insurgent Arakan Army, which is active in the bordering Rakhine region of the country.
International media reports suggested several more insurgent groups, some forming alliances among them, are confronting the government army in several parts of Myanmar.
Bangladesh's border with Myanmar stretches 271.0 kilometers (168.4 miles), from the tri-point with India in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south.
Bangladesh played a critical role in sheltering over a million Muslim minority Rohingyas who fled their home in Rakhine and took refuge in Bangladesh to evade persecution, particularly after a 2017 army crackdown but the current crisis visibly has little to do with the Rohingyas.
