Staff Reporter :
The government on Thursday summoned Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka Lwin Oo and protested against unusual mobilisation of huge number of troops violating international conventions along Tumbru border in Naikhyangchhari of Bandarban district with heavy arms and ammunition.
Lwin Oo was asked to meet acting foreign secretary Md Khurshed Alam who handed over a note verbally seeking withdrawal of the troops.
Khurshed Alam told the ambassador that mobilisation of troops with heavy weapons is detrimental to good neighbourly relations between the two countries.
The Border Guard of Bangladesh is kept on alert as Myanmar intensifies deployment of troops within 150 metres of Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Tumbru of Naikhyangchhari on Thursday.
However, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Thursday said that they have intensified security measures on the Myanmar border after observing the newly entering Rohingyas.
The members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGP), Coast Guard, Police and some intelligence agencies also keep exclusive watch in the area. He made the statement while addressing a programme at Police Staff College in Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday morning.
The Additional Director General (operations and training) of BGB, Brigadier General Mujibur Rahman, told the media that Myanmar intensified deployment of troops along with heavy weapons between border pillar 34 and 35 at Tumbru at around 10:00am.
“Deploying army with heavy arms and ammunition on border goes against the border norms. We’re on high alert and observing their activities,” he told a press briefing at BGB headquarters.
“BGB is always ready to perform its duty for the sake of the motherland if any serious situation is created. However, no alarming situation has been created yet… the situation is under control till now,” he added.
A good number of Rohingyas gathered near zero point of the Myanmar border in the last one month where the BGP members are setting up barbed wire fence and advance technological surveillance equipment, he said.
BGB has sent a protest note to the BGP and asked for a flag meeting in this regard, Mujibur said.
‘We are on alert and observing the situation. We also called for holding flag meeting and there was no response yet. We expect that the problem would be solved at the ground level through flag meeting very soon,’ he said.
Besides, Mujibur Rahman said they also sent a protest letter to Myanmar.
“I just want to say that deploying troops and heavy weapons along border is against the norms,” he said.
He also said the BGB also intensified deployment on the border as a counter measure.
