Vigil heightened along Myanmar border

The government has stepped up surveillance and vigilance along its border with Myanmar as fighting intensifies in Myanmar’s Rakhine State amid growing concerns over possible fresh Rohingya influxes and cross-border security risks.

Speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Sunday said the government was closely monitoring developments along the frontier and had strengthened border security measures in response to the deteriorating situation across the border.
“We are monitoring the border situation.

We have increased vigilance at the border,” he said when asked about the government’s response to the latest developments in Myanmar.

His remarks came as clashes between Myanmar’s military junta and the Arakan Army have intensified in recent days, particularly in Maungdaw Township in Rakhine State, opposite Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar border areas.

Reports from the region indicate that junta forces have launched repeated air strikes on Arakan Army positions, while the ethnic armed group has continued to mount resistance.

The renewed hostilities have heightened anxiety among residents in Bangladesh’s border areas, including Teknaf, Ukhiya and Naikhongchhari, where people have reported hearing loud explosions from across the frontier.

The escalating conflict has also raised fears of a new wave of Rohingya refugees seeking to cross into Bangladesh.

Responding to a question about reports circulating on social media claiming that Arakan Army chief Twan Mrat Naing had been injured and was receiving treatment in Bangladesh, the foreign minister said the government had no information to support such claims.

“I have no information on that matter,” he said.
The reports, which have circulated on social media platforms and some Myanmar-focused online channels in recent weeks, have not been substantiated by any recognised news organisation or official source.

Meanwhile, local authorities in Cox’s Bazar have moved to reinforce security measures along the border.

A special meeting of the district law and order committee held in Teknaf on Saturday decided to strengthen patrols by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard along the Naf River and land border areas to prevent any unauthorised crossings.

The meeting also resolved to intensify operations against kidnapping, drug and arms smuggling, human trafficking by sea, illegal weapons, militant hideouts in hilly areas and criminal activities inside and around the Rohingya camps.

Officials and local representatives attending the meeting voiced concern over the possibility of fresh Rohingya infiltration as the conflict in Rakhine State continues to displace civilians and destabilise communities near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

Bangladesh currently hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled previous waves of violence and military operations in Myanmar, making any further influx a significant humanitarian and security concern for the country.

It has been nearly 9 years since the massive 2017 exodus of Rohingyas, but not a single Rohingyas returned to their homeland in Myanmar.

Bangladesh government has been urging the international community to address the crisis as it might destabilise the region.