Border guards remain alert along Myanmar frontier: Hasan

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Bangladesh has been closely observing the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state where the conflict between rebel group Arakan army and government forces intensified in recent days.

"Of course, we are observing .. our border guards remain alert there .. we are in contact with the Myanmar government ," he told reporters at the foreign ministry.  

While seeking his comments on Dhaka's stand as thirteen mortar shells landed in Cox's Bazar area from Rakhine, the minister said, "These mortar shells were flown from the other side of the border due to the ongoing clash between the Myanmar government force and the Arakan Army."

"These mortar shells are landed here due to those clashes, we hope no more mortar shells will land in our territory from Myanmar, we are on alert," he said.

The foreign minister said so far no influx of displaced Myanmar people inside Bangladesh has been reported.  

Security has been beefed up along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Cox's Bazar as the ongoing conflict has intensified in Rakhine state.

Thirteen mortar shells and one bullet landed on the Bangladesh side during a clash between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army along the border on Saturday, said a press release of the 34 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion in Cox's Bazar.

BGB immediately sent a letter to the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) protesting the incident, reading the press release signed by the Commanding Officer Lt Col Saiful Islam Chowdhury.