BGB on high alert to prevent infiltration through Myanmar border
Sending BGP members back to Myanmar being discussed through the home ministry and the foreign ministry, said BGB regional commander
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said it is on high alert so that no group including Rohingyas can infiltrate through the Myanmar border during the ongoing conflict between the rebel factions in the Rakhine state with Myanmar's military junta.
"Additional BGB personnel have been deployed in the border areas to closely monitor the situation," BGB Cox's Bazar Region Commander Brigadier General Morshed Alam told reporters at a press briefing in Bandarban on Monday (5 February) evening.
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.
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As of this evening, 106 Border Guard Police (BGP) members of Myanmar have taken shelter in Bangladesh amid heavy gunfights between the Myanmar government troops and the rebels in the junta-run country.
Morshed Alam said food and shelter have been arranged for them and the injured are being treated.
He also said the issue of sending the BGP members back to Myanmar is being discussed through the home ministry and the foreign ministry.
"Necessary measures will be taken only after receiving instructions from the ministries," he added.
The BGB commander further said a strong protest letter has been sent to the Myanmar's BGP over the death of two people after heavy mortar shells reportedly fired from Myanmar landed and exploded inside Bangladesh on the Ghumdum border in Bandarban.
The explosion occurred around 2:20pm when a shell hit an under-construction house located in Jolpaitali village of Bandarban's Naikhongchhari upazila.
The deceased were identified as the house owner, Hosneara Begum, 55, and a Rohingya labourer, Nabi Hossain, 65, who was working on-site.
The Rohingya man died on the spot, and Hosneara Begum breathed her last while she was being taken to the hospital, Ghumdum Union Parishad Chairman AKM Jahangir Aziz said.
Following the incident, upazila administrative officials and members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) visited the scene.
Rebel factions in Rakhine state 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.
Officials have reported intense fighting, and there are concerns about the use of army helicopters strafing rebel fighters, heightening worries of substantial casualties.
International media reports suggested several more insurgent groups, some forming alliances among them, are confronting the government army in several parts of Myanmar.
Meanwhile, panic has gripped Bangladeshis living near the Myanmar border as bullets and rockets from the ongoing conflict between the junta and rebels have been hitting people, vehicles, and buildings across the border.
Many have even left their home for safe shelter.
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.
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.
