Several hundred Rohingyas are reportedly stranded just across the Naf River opposite Teknaf, unable to enter Bangladesh due to tightened border security, according to Rohingya community leaders.
They estimate that around 300-400 Rohingyas have gathered along the frontier, many fleeing fierce clashes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State involving the Arakan Army, Rohingya armed groups, and junta forces seeking to regain control of lost territory. Fourteen of Rakhine’s 17 townships are now under Arakan Army control.
The matter of Rohingyas massing near the border was raised at a National Task Force meeting on Rohingya Affairs, chaired by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on August 17. Officials at the meeting confirmed reports that some Rohingyas are crossing into Bangladesh despite heightened patrols.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, however, told The Daily Star he had no official confirmation of such gatherings. He acknowledged, though, that Myanmar’s military carried out airstrikes on Maungdaw and surrounding areas three days ago, intensifying violence there.
Mohammad Kamal, a leader from Camp-27 in Cox’s Bazar, said more than 300 Rohingyas are sheltering near Laldwip in Myanmar, opposite Jaliya Dwip in Bangladesh. “Every day, some Rohingyas slip into the camps evading BGB patrols,” he said.
“The junta is bombing towns to recapture them. At the same time, clashes are raging between the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups. Trapped in a three-way conflict, families fear for their lives and are desperate to flee to Bangladesh.”
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, meanwhile, said strict surveillance is preventing illegal crossings.
“With the sea rough, boat entry is blocked, which may have left some Rohingyas stranded across the border,” said Lt Col Ashiqur Rahman, commander of the BGB’s Teknaf-2 Battalion.
Syed Alam, secretary of FDMN-RC, a Rohingya rights group, warned of a potential new influx if the conflict escalates further. He accused the Arakan Army of committing atrocities that have forced Rohingyas to flee their villages.
Clashes between Rohingya armed groups and the Arakan Army have also flared in recent weeks across the border from Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban.
Meanwhile, BGB claimed to have detained two individuals, including an alleged associate of the Arakan Army, from the Ghumdhum border area.
According to BGB, the two were picked up near the Tumbru Pachimkul check-post along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on Sunday by members of the Tumbru Border Outpost (BOP) under Cox’s Bazar Battalion-34.
In a press release, BGB said one of the detainees, Ulai Chakma, 24, from Dekubuniya village in Myanmar, is an associate of the Arakan Army. The other detainee was identified as Nayan Chakma, 30, from Rangamati town in Bangladesh.
The press release, signed by Lt Col SM Khairul Alam, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-34, said the two disclosed the information during interrogation.
BGB added that preparations were underway to hand them over to the local police for legal action under Bangladeshi law.
