DHAKA – Bangladesh’s Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan says both Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA) have been told to stop firing across the international border.
“We will respond to their firing. If we are attacked, we will respond,” the state-owned news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha quoted him saying on Thursday.
The minister said Bangladeshi boats had been asked to hoist the national flag when near Myanmar’s waters.
Poor navigability on the Naf River to St Martin’s Island is presenting a challenge to boats from Teknaf, pushing them into Myanmar’s waters, where they have been fired on.
The secretary general of the ruling Awami League, Obaidul Quader, on Wednesday in Dhaka said Bangladesh would not sit “thumb sucking” if national sovereignty was at risk.
Outgoing Bangladesh Army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed last week said retaliation was an option with all three services on standby.
Border Guard Bangladesh’s Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed said land and river patrols were continuing.
He said no junta personnel had crossed the border since June 11 when at least 28 defeated troops fled the AA in northern Rakhine State.
More than 752 junta personnel and their families have been repatriated since mid-February, according to Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry.
A Bangladeshi border officer, Shahparir Dwip Zakaria Alfaz, said heavy firing and shelling were audible across the Naf.
He said river trade between Sittwe and Teknaf had been suspended for weeks.
St Martin’s Union Council chairman Mujibur Rahman said regular vessels connecting the mainland had been suspended.
Intelligence sources said Myanmar’s naval ships had been reported in the area.
