Dhaka, Sept 14 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Aung Kyaw Moe and protested visible movement of Myanmar military very close to Bangladesh-Myanmar border.The Myanmar Ambassador was summoned to the office of Director General (DG-Myanmar Wing) Md. Delwar Hossain.
“Yes, the Ambassador was summoned and conveyed Bangladesh’s protest,” a senior official told UNB.
Bangladesh noticed suspicious movement of Myanmar military forces on fishing trawlers close to the maritime international border since Friday, a source said.
Bangladesh side asked the Myanmar to stop such suspicious movement so that no misunderstanding takes place between the two countries.
Such movement of military along the international border might create panic among Rohingyas living on both sides of the border, sources said.
Earlier, nine countries including the USA and UK said they are concerned by the continued clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine and Chin States and by the heavy toll this continues to take on local communities.
The nine countries are Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Tunisia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.
On the situation in Rakhine more broadly, it is now more than three years since over 700,000 Rohingyas were forcibly displaced from their homes to Bangladesh because of violence perpetrated by the Myanmar military.
The countries urged Myanmar to intensify its bilateral dialogue with Bangladesh to agree a durable solution that enables the safe, voluntary, sustainable, and dignified return of Rohingyas.
The countries underscored that accountability is an essential part of addressing the long-term challenges in Myanmar and in creating conditions for the return of Rohingyas and IDPs.
“We stress the importance of fighting impunity and holding accountable all those responsible for violations of international law and abuses,” reads the joint statement.
In line with Security Council Presidential Statement 2017/22, they called on Myanmar to accelerate its efforts to address the long-term causes of the crisis in Rakhine and create conditions conducive to the safe, voluntary, sustainable, and dignified return of refugees.
In particular, the countries encouraged Myanmar to set out a transparent and credible plan to implement the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission and the Independent Commission of Enquiry. – UNB
According to information available in a credible site, 1. Myanmar has suddenly started building up troops near the Bangladesh border. There are reports that around 1,000 Myanmar Army troops arrived by boat in northern Maungdaw early in the morning of 11 September 2020.
2. Eye witness has reported that local authorities ordered 20 fishing boats from Maung Ni village to travel down to Inn Din village area on the coast of southern Maungdaw, and remain stand by from 8 September ‘2020 .
3. On 10 September , four Myanmar Navy ships arrived off the coast of Inn Din village, and the boat drivers saw “thousands” of troops disembarking. That night, the boat drivers from Maung Ni were forced to transport the troops along the coast up to northern Maungdaw, carrying about 50 armed soldiers in each boat.
4. The fishing boats carried the Myanmar Army troops to different locations along the Naf River, as far as Ngakhura village, about 20 kilometers north of Maungdaw town. Troops also landed at the Maungdaw No.1 Jetty near Maungdaw town and Kanyin Chaung, where the Myanmar government is building an economic zone just north of the town.
5. The arrival of so many Myanmar Burma Army troops is striking fear among Rohingya residents of Maungdaw. As the Arakan Army is not active in this area, Myanmar’s troops build-up in the northern Maungdaw close to the border raises questions.
