Bangladesh has recalled its ambassador in Yangon in response to the expulsion of its military attaché by Myanmar’s regime.
Citing diplomatic sources, the Dhaka Post reported that Bangladesh’s foreign affairs ministry instructed Monowar Hossain to return this week.
Bangladesh is communicating with the Arakan Army (AA) that controls 14 out of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, including the entire border with Bangladesh.
The regime last month sent a formal complaint to Dhaka about contact with the AA. But the national security adviser to Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Dr Khalilur Rahman, told the media on May 6 that Bangladesh was a sovereign country with an independent foreign policy and it would engage with any group when it served the national interest.
Dhaka flew back Brigadier General Aftab Hossain, its military adviser in Yangon, after he was expelled by the regime on May 13.
Bangladesh says it is planning to establish a UN-backed humanitarian corridor from Bangladesh to deliver aid to civilians in Rakhine State and to allow the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
The Bangladesh media reported on junta fears that any corridor could be used to resupply the AA, straining relations with Dhaka.
The AA also controls Paletwa Township in southern Chin State, which has a border with both India and Bangladesh.
The armed group is still fighting to seize the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe, and Kyaukphyu Township, where China is building a major port to gain access to the Indian Ocean as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
The AA has expanded its operations into neighboring Magwe, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions.
