DHAKA — The Bangladeshi authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of two Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) members and the seizure of shells allegedly from Myanmar’s military.
Cox’s Bazar-based Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 15 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel HM Sajjad Hossain announced the arrest of Shah Noor, also known as Master Solim, 38, who was reportedly a bodyguard for ARSA commander-in-chief Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, and Mohammed Riaz, 26.
He said they were bomb experts and a Bangladeshi bomb disposal team was disposing of their explosives and grenades seized in Ukhia near Myanmar’s border.
RAB sources said Noor was working in Rohingya refugee camps where he was linked to several recent killings.
Col Hossain said the rocket shells, grenades, other explosives and a pistol were assumed to be from Myanmar’s military, although he did not say how they were acquired by ARSA.
Bangladeshi security analyst Bijoy Debashish Narayon Paul, a retired lieutenant colonel, told The Irrawaddy that is unclear who is funding ASRA but the group is working with Myanmar’s regime against the Arakan Army in Rakhine State.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud and other parliamentarians visited Cox’s Bazar on Sunday and claimed extremist groups were recruiting Rohingya from the camps. He said problems were being created from across the border.
RAB said it is stepping up surveillance at the camps as the security situation deteriorates.
It said 80 Rohingya had been killed by extremist groups in the camps since January last year.
The agency said 110 ARSA members had been arrested along with explosives, firearms and ammunition in recent months.
The RAB said it had seized eight grenades, 10 homemade hand grenades, one revolver and nine bullets.
