Another unexploded mortar shell was recovered from a paddy field in Ghundhum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban on Friday.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Naikhongchhari Police Station Abdul Mannan said that some farmers found a mortar shell while working in the paddy fields of the area near Tumbru Paschim Kul BGB camp on Friday noon.
After that, they informed the administration, and BGB members went and recovered the mortar shell, he added.
Earlier, an unexploded mortar shell was recovered from the Nayapara area of Ward No. 5 of Ghundhum Union on Thursday. It is believed that BGP members from Myanmar left the mortar shells while fleeing into Bangladesh.
The BGB, army and bomb disposal unit detonated the mortar shell recovered on Thursday with a loud bang around 12:00 pm Friday. As soon as the shell was neutralised, bullets rained in from Myanmar. BGB, however, claimed that these were stray bullets fired during clashes across the border.
Locals said that Naikhongchhari in Bandarban, Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar areas adjacent to the border with Myanmar are apparently calm, but sometimes sporadic gunshots are occasionally heard.
The intense gunfire that echoed last week has subsided, though sporadic gunshots from Myanmar are still occasionally heard.
Anwarul Islam, a representative of the Tumbru Union Council in Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari, said there had been a drop in the intensity of the fighting since last Wednesday.
“The gunfire isn’t as intense as it was on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. However, we still occasionally hear sudden gunshots or heavy shelling.”
Residents near the Teknaf border reported hearing gunfire on Thursday night.
Nurul Afsar, a resident of Nayapara area, said that members of the armed forces brought a mortar shell to their village on Friday morning for detonation. The locals were also warned before it exploded.
It is detonated in a controlled environment. Soon after, gunshots were heard from Dhekibunia border post area of Myanmar.
There is concern among Tumbru residents that Myanmar’s junta forces might attempt to recapture two outposts, known as ‘Left Camp’ and ‘Right Camp’, along the border.
However, an unidentified body was found at the Rahmater Beel border in the Palongkhali union of Ukhiya.
However, the locals said that it is difficult to go to the conflict area and recover the body.
Ukhiya police station OC Md Shamim Hossain said “I have given the news of the dead body lying on the border to BGB. But we have not recovered it. Formal permission from the BGB will be required before we can proceed with recovery and subsequent steps.”
Panic gripped the Tumbru border area in Bandarban's Naikhongchhari Upazila over the past week, with gunshots regularly ringing out from the Myanmar side.
Gunfire and mortar shells also landed on Bangladeshi territory last week, hitting homes, and killing two people, including a woman.
Bangladesh has strongly protested against the casualties by summoning the ambassador of Myanmar.
The Myanmar military and rebel group Arakan Army have been involved in intense fighting in Rakhine state over the last few days.
