Cox's Bazar, Feb 4 (BSS): At least 58 soldiers from Myanmar's paramilitary Border Guard Police (BGP) crossed into Bangladesh on Sunday, seeking refuge from heavy fighting between government troops and rebels in the junta-controlled country.
"A total of 58 BGP personnel sought shelter in Bangladesh throughout the day, starting in the early hours," said an official familiar with the situation. "Fourteen of them crossed the border with gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment at various hospitals, including healthcare facilities in Rohingya camps."
The official added that the paramilitary soldiers were being held in the custody of their counterparts, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), in Cox's Bazar, while their weapons had been deposited in the BGB armoury.
"Many of the soldiers entered Bangladesh in combat uniforms and carrying weapons, while others were in civilian clothes and left their arms behind," the official said.
BSS obtained a photograph of the last BGP soldier to cross the border, barefoot and in plain clothes, carrying his rifle. The other 14 were in their combat uniforms.
"The BGB has informed their Myanmar counterparts of the development," said the official, preferring anonymity.
Meanwhile, Dhaka expressed concern that the clashes near its border with Myanmar were affecting Bangladesh's frontline areas.
On Sunday, Road Transport Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader sought China to intervene and de-escalate the conflict, given Beijing's close ties with the Burmese authorities.
"The internal war is their [Myanmar's] domestic issue," Quader told reporters after meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Dhaka.
"However, when the sounds of gunfire are heard across the border, it naturally creates panic among the public. Therefore, we expect Beijing to intervene."
Schools closed in Bangladesh as Myanmar clashes intensify
Authorities in Bangladesh have closed five schools near the troubled border with Myanmar in Bandarban as fighting between Myanmar troops and rebels intensifies.
Locals reported that mortar shells and stray bullets have landed on Bangladeshi territory, raising concerns for safety.
The Border Guard Bangladesh has advised local residents to stay indoors or move cautiously.
The fiercest clashes appear to be taking place in the southern and northern parts of Tombru, a town located on the Myanmar side of the border. Tombru is located in Ghumdhum union of Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban.
Officials say reports from Myanmar suggest the army is using helicopters to attack rebel fighters.
Residents in Bangladeshi border villages, including local council members, reported being panicked by the sounds of gunfire on Saturday night and Sunday.
A BSS reporter confirmed that the clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army have caused panic in several villages, with mortar shells and bullets landing inside Bangladesh in recent days.
However, no injuries have been reported so far.
"In two separate incidents on Saturday night, a bullet shattered the windshield of a rickshaw and a mortar shell hit a house in the Tombru area, but there were no injuries," said a member of the local union council.
Bangladesh has deployed additional security forces along the border in response to the clashes.
International media reports suggest that several other insurgent groups, some forming alliances, are also fighting the government army in various parts of Myanmar.
Bangladesh's border with Myanmar stretches 271.0 kilometres (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 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.
Bangladesh won praises for the handling of the world's biggest refugee crisis while Dhaka repeatedly sought their repatriation to their homeland in Rakhine saying the Rohingyas were causing economic, social, security and environmental problems.
The issue is now the subject of a United Nations genocide investigation at the International Court of Justice.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
