Although the Ghumdhum-Tumbru border has been calm for two days, unrest is gradually moving towards the Ukhiya-Teknaf border in Cox’s Bazar.
Gunshots were heard from across the border of Rahmater Beel in Palangkhali union of Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar for three hours from around 11:00 pm on Wednesday to 2:00 am Thursday.
People in that area were gripped by fear as sounds of firing of mortars were heard from Myanmar.
However, the Tumbru-Ghumdhum border in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban district remained calm.
Md Solaiman, a resident of Uttarpara in Tumbru said “The sound of gunshots has not been heard for two days. My family is all at home. We are fine now. But still, we are in fear of the shooting and mortar shells.”
There was a loud sound of continuous gunshots in Ukhiya’s Thyngkhali, one and a half kilometers away from the border, from 5:00 am Thursday. Everyone woke up to the sound of gunshots.
Md Salahuddin of Thyngkhali area, said, “I could not sleep because of the loud sound of gunfire over several days.”
Palangkhali union parishad chairman M Gafur Uddin said they heard firing of 2-3 mortar rounds between 10:00 pm Wednesday and 12:00 am Thursday, but those were far from the Bangladesh border areas.
The government relocated 100 members of Myanmar security forces including Border Guard Police (BGP) staying at Tumbru of Ghumdhum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban to Teknaf’s Hnila union in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday.
Meanwhile, two more members of Myanmar security forces took shelter in Bangladesh on Thursday as the conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group Arakan Army (AA) in Myanmar’s Rakhaine State drags on.
With this, a total of 330 members of Myanmar security forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials have taken shelter in Bangladesh in the last five days, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
Of them, 100 have been shifted from Tumbru to Hnila in Teknaf considering administrative convenience, he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, 64 people entered Bangladesh with firearms through Whaikhong on Teknaf border. The BGB disarmed them and took them to a safe shelter.
According to local sources, for a long time, the government junta forces and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) have been fighting inside Myanmar across the border of Bangladesh. Till now 330 members of the Myanmar forces have taken shelter in Bangladesh.
A mortar shell was recovered on the Ghumdhum border of Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban district on Thursday.
The mortar shell is assumed to be unexploded. The mortar shell was found at Nayapara Beel of Ghumdhum Union around 12:00 noon Thursday.
The mortar shell was found just around 100 metres from the Myanmar border. Sources said this is probably an RL shell of the Myanmar army.
Anwarul Hossain, member of No 5 Ward Ghumdhum Union Parishad (UP), said that the children of the area found the mortar shell while collecting wood. People in the area saw the mortar shell and assumed it was unexploded.
Later on getting information, BGB members took it into their custody. Considering the risk, the BGB placed the mortar shell in a beel away from residential areas, he added.
He said it is believed that the mortar shell was dumped halfway down the road when the Myanmar border guards escaped and came to Bangladesh to take refuge with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
Safayet Hossain, one of the BGB members, said that the bomb disposal unit of the army has been informed. After coming and testing, they will be able to tell whether the mortar shell is active or inactive.
Residents of Nayapara area said that no more mortar shells have been fired from across the border since Wednesday. The situation is still calm today (Thursday). Because of this, it is believed that the mortar shell fell on the beel last Tuesday night.
That night there was a lot of shelling and heavy shelling. The general public could not go to the beel due to the shelling.
An armed conflict between the Myanamr’s Border Guard Police (BGP) and rebel Arakan Army (AA) broke out on Friday night. The AA members reportedly have already taken control of Tumbru right camp and Dhekibunia border post from the BGP.
The conflict killed two in Bangladesh territory, one of them is a Bangladeshi woman and another a Rohingya person, in a mortar round fired from Myanmar.
