Staff Reporter :
Myanmar deployed more than 2,500 additional troops since September 12 in camps along the Rakhine State and Chin State border in western Burma bordering Bangladesh.
Additional troops and weapons were suddenly deployed under pretext of “suppressing” the Arakan Army, declared a “terrorist group” by the Myanmar government, according to an intelligence agency of Bangladesh.
Security sources said two meetings regarding the security of Rakhine State were held on September 11 and 12 in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw, led by a senior general.
The meetings accused the Arakan Army in Rakhine of terrorist activities. Officials present at the meeting decided to deploy additional troops as part of their action against the Arakan Army.
Officers from the three Myanmar armed forces – army, navy, and air force – were present at the meetings.
Bangladesh is concerned about the sudden deployment of armed forces in the border camps of the neighbouring country and Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry has already summoned Myanmar’s Ambassador to Dhaka regarding the newly deployed additional troops.
Security officials believe that in the name of suppressing the Arakan Army, Myanmar forces could carry out new killings and torture in Rakhine or Chin state as they did in 2017.
There may be a conspiracy to force the Rohingya or people of other ethnicities of that country into Bangladesh again, which could be a security risk for Bangladesh, they said.
