Skip to main content

Myanmar’s continuous breach of Bangladesh’s sovereignty belittling neighbourly spirit

By Samina Akhter* 

Myanmar is one of Bangladesh's closest neighbors. Unfortunately, the country's behavior is not good neighborly. On August 25, 2017, Myanmar's army raided the Rakhine state and carried out indiscriminate killings of the Rohingya population, setting fire to their homes. In the face of this brutality, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled and took shelter in Bangladesh. Several lakhs of Rohingyas have come to Bangladesh from Myanmar at different times before. At present, the number of Rohingyas registered in various refugee camps in Bangladesh is 1.25 million. Myanmar has been reluctant to take back these Rohingyas. Bangladesh has to pay the price. Myanmar has been deceiving Bangladesh in many ways.
Under the pretext of the ongoing conflict between the army and the Arakan Army, Myanmar has been strategically trying to expel the Rohingya from Rakhine. Rohingyas of several villages have already been ordered to leave the area. There is a fear of Rohingyas pouring into Bangladesh again. Such information has emerged in the reports of some Bangladeshi Bangla media which covers and monitors the conflict between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army. Those concerned say that effective action must be taken in this regard now, at least two lakh Rohingya will be deported again in the face of torture by the Myanmar army. And the destination of most of these Rohingyas will be Bangladesh. Bangladesh will have to face more crisis.
Accroding to media reports, 2 shells fired from Myanmar warplanes fell inside Bangladesh border. The incident took place on Saturday (September 3) at 9:30 am in the area between border pillars 40-41 under the jurisdiction of Reju Amtali BGB BOP of Ward No. 8 of Ghumdhum Union of Naikxyongchari Upazila of Bandarban.
Earlier, The Myanmar border security, Border Guard Police (BGP), reportedly hurled mortar shells at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari. The incident was reported from Tumbru no-man’s land on August 28 around 2pm.
A helicopter of the Myanmar Army on Tuesday reportedly crossed the Bangladesh border and fired multiple shells on the hills at Ghumdhum union in Bandarban's Naikhongchari upazila.
Myanmar has been continuously violating the sovereignty of Bangladesh now a days. This is very unexpected. No state has the right to violate the sovereignty of another state at the border. This is a clear violation of international law, norms, customs. The neighbourly relations between the two countries need to be taken into account by the authority of Myanmar. They have to understand that there is no war on the border. Arakan Army is their internal issue. It has right to do everything within its own jurisdiction. But it must remember that Bangladesh is a sovereign state. Shelling alone towards border intentionally or unintentionally cannot be the answer. Myanmar has not any right to violate another state’s jurisdiction. This type of attitude is not acceptable in international community.
According to local sources, 2 warplanes and 2 fighting helicopters of the Myanmar Army arrived between border pillars 40-41 under Reju Amtali BGB BOP at 9:30 am. At this time, approximately 8 to 10 rounds were fired from the warplanes and approximately 30 to 35 rounds were also fired from the helicopter. 2 shells fired from warplanes fell approximately 120 meters inside Bangladesh along Border Pillar 40.
Besides, Tumbru BGB BOP border pillar 34-35 of Ward No. 1 of Naikxyongchari Upazila fired 4 rounds of heavy weapons from Tumbru Right Camp of Myanmar 2 BGP which is still ongoing. Even the Myanmar Muringajhiri Camp and Tumbru Right Camp are being fired intermittently by mortar fire.
The fact that two mortar shells fired from Myanmar earlier landed within the border of Bangladesh is unexpected. It has been reported that two mortar shells hit a sleepy populated area of ​​Naikshyongchari upazila of Bandarban near Zero Point around 3 pm on Sunday. This spread panic among the locals. In this incident, Bangladesh protested by summoning the ambassador of Myanmar. It is not yet clear whether the mortar shelling was accidental or intentional. Local residents say that there has been shelling on the Myanmar border for several days. Despite the sound of gunfire and mortar shells ringing in the ears, it is hard to tell what is actually going on there. However, many residents of the area say that the Arakan Army has been fighting with the Myanmar army across the border in Rakhine state for more than two weeks. There was fierce fighting between the two sides from Sunday morning. At noon, Myanmar army helicopters and warplanes were seen circling the border. Meanwhile, there was a mortar shell incident on the border of Bangladesh. It should be noted that, a helicopter of the Myanmar security forces violated the airspace and returned to Bangladesh. The same thing happened time to time, day to day. The real cause of these incidents needs to be revealed quickly.
In this context, the incident of firing mortar shells by Myanmar inside the border of Bangladesh is exciting. For the sake of maintaining normal relations between the two countries, Myanmar should immediately take effective measures to stop all kinds of unwanted behavior from the border area - this is desirable.
Two mortar shells from Myanmar that landed on Bangladeshi soil on Sunday pose a threat to both Bangladesh's sovereignty and the bilateral relations between the two nations, where there has reportedly been intense combat between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military. The tragedy portends poorly for the stability of the region as well as Bangladesh and Myanmar. On Sunday afternoon, the shells struck Naikhyangchari in Bandarban but did not explode, causing alarm among the villagers in the Tumbru Uttar Para border region.
The shells are said to have been defused by the Border Guard Bangladesh's bomb disposal team. Bangladesh has every right to be extremely concerned about this issue since it views the incident, whether it was deliberate or not, as a challenge to Bangladesh's sovereignty and as having the potential to worsen bilateral relations. More than a million Rohingyas have left the turmoil in Rakhine and entered Bangladesh during the previous forty years; more than 700,000 of them entered the country only in 2017. As a result, the relationship between the two nations has already remained tense.
Since the two nations signed agreements, first in November 2017 and then in January 2018, repatriation attempts have stalled, primarily due to the unwillingness of the Myanmar government and a tense situation in Myanmar.
The mortar shells that were fired on Sunday are the most recent instance of Myanmar's blatant disrespect for Bangladesh's sovereignty, its bilateral relations with Bangladesh, and regional peace. The Myanmar government is not yet known to have acknowledged the occurrence or made clear their viewpoint. Such disdain was also evident when, in August and September 2017, Myanmar helicopters repeatedly violated Bangladeshi airspace, to which the Bangladeshi government vigorously objected.
The persistence of these occurrences, however, points to Myanmar's ongoing violation of international law. Additionally, it runs counter to friendly neighborly relations and may result in unanticipated events that are not in the interests of just Myanmar but also Bangladesh and other nearby nations. An unstable Rakhine region poses a threat to the safe and honorable return of the Rohingya population, and an unstable border poses a threat to those who live there. A stable and peaceful neighbor is always desired and, in fact, essential for any country. In order to protect the interests of both countries as well as the international community, Bangladesh's government must protest to its colleagues in Myanmar and demand an explanation for the mortar shell incident.
If Bangladesh wants, it can destabilize the whole region by supporting the insurgents’ groups of Myanmar. But Bangladesh does not support any kind of insurgency, provocation in the region because it believes in peaceful coexistence of every actor in the region. Myanmar must respect this Bangladesh’s peaceful attitude, mindset and mechanism. Myanmar must have knowledge that Bangladesh has also strong military, modern military logistics, support from international community and opportunities to support the insurgents of Myanmar.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stepped up its vigilance along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Bandarban area after two Myanmar mortar shells landed in an area near Tambru under Naikkhangchhari in Bandarban on Sunday afternoon.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday said Bangladesh remains better prepared so that nobody can enter Bangladesh from Myanmar afresh due to deteriorated situation in Rakhine State.
Therefore, the Bangladeshi government strongly denounced the mortar shell event to the Myanmar government and must formally tell international and regional forums of both the most current and prior cases of international law violations. To make the locals feel comfortable, the government also strengthened security measures at the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
---
Dhaka-based columnist and woman and human rights activist

Comments

TRENDING

देशव्यापी ग्रामीण भारत बंध में उतरे मध्य प्रदेश के आदिवासी, किया केंद्र सरकार का विरोध

- हरसिंग जमरे, भिखला सोलंकी, रतन अलावे*  15 और 16 फरवरी को निमाड के बड़वानी, खरगोन और बुरहानपुर में जागृत आदिवासी दलित संगठन के नेतृत्व में आदिवासी महिला-पुरुषों ग्रामीण भारत बंद में रैली एवं विरोध प्रदर्शन किया । प्रधान मंत्री द्वारा 2014 में फसलों की लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव देने का वादा किया गया था, 2016 में किसानों की आय दुगना करने का वादा किया गया था । आज, फसलों का दाम नहीं बढ़ रहा है, लेकिन खेती में खर्च बढ़ता जा रहा है! खाद, बीज और दवाइयों का दाम, तीन-चार गुना बढ़ चुका है! किसानों को लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव देने के बजाए, खेती को कंपनियों के हवाले करने के लिए 3 काले कृषि कानून लाए गए । 3 काले कानून वापस लेते समय प्रधान मंत्री ने फिर वादा किया था कि फसलों की लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव की कानूनी गारंटी के लिए कानून बनाएँगे, लेकिन वो भी झूठ निकला! आज जब देश के किसान दिल्ली में आपको अपना वादा याद दिलाने आए है, तब आप उनका रास्ता रोक रहें है, उनके साथ मारपीट कर उन पर आँसू गैस फेंक रहें हैं, उन पर छर्रों से फायरिंग कर रहें है! देश को खिलाने वाला किसान खुद भूखा रहे, क्या यही विकास है?

नफरती बातें: मुसलमानों में असुरक्षा का भाव बढ़ रहा है, वे अपने मोहल्लों में सिमट रहे हैं

- राम पुनियानी*  भारत पर पिछले 10 सालों से हिन्दू राष्ट्रवादी भारतीय जनता पार्टी (भाजपा) राज कर रही है. भाजपा आरएसएस परिवार की सदस्य है और आरएसएस का लक्ष्य है हिन्दू राष्ट्र का निर्माण. आरएसएस से जुड़ी सैंकड़ों संस्थाएँ हैं. उसके लाखों, बल्कि शायद, करोड़ों स्वयंसेवक हैं. इसके अलावा कई हजार वरिष्ठ कार्यकर्ता हैं जिन्हें प्रचारक कहा जाता है. भाजपा के सत्ता में आने के बाद से आरएसएस दुगनी गति से हिन्दू राष्ट्र के निर्माण के अपने एजेण्डे को पूरा करने में जुट गया है. यदि भाजपा को चुनावों में लगातार सफलता हासिल हो रही है तो उसका कारण है देश में साम्प्रदायिकता और साम्प्रदायिक मुद्दों का बढ़ता बोलबाला. इनमें से कुछ हैं राम मंदिर, गौमांस और गोवध एवं लव जिहाद. 

Only 15% businesses provide employees real-time sustainability dashboards: Study

Kyndryl in collaboration with Microsoft has released the findings of The Global Sustainability Barometer study. The study, conducted by Ecosystm, finds that while 85% of organizations place a high strategic level of importance on achieving their sustainability goals, only 16% have integrated sustainability into their strategies and data. A Kyndryl note: *** Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, in collaboration with Microsoft , today released the findings of The Global Sustainability Barometer study. The study, conducted by Ecosystm , finds that while 85% of organizations place a high strategic level of importance on achieving their sustainability goals, only 16% have integrated sustainability into their strategies and data.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Laxmanpur Bathe massacre: Perfect example of proto-fascist Brahmanical social order

By Harsh Thakor  The massacre at Laxmanpur-Bathe of Jehanabad in Bihar on the night of 1 December in 1997 was a landmark event with distinguishing features .The genocide rightly shook the conscience of the nation in the 50th year of Indian independence. The scale of the carnage was unparalleled in any caste massacre. It was a perfect manifestation of how in essence the so called neo-liberal state was in essence most autocratic. 

Tamil Nadu brahmins are at cross roads, their future scenario remains uncertain

By NS Venkataraman*  For over 70 years now, brahmin community in Tamil Nadu have been abused, insulted and even physically attacked on some occasions by those who claimed that they were part of the so called dravidian movement. However, brahmin community silently and helplessly ducked under pressure and showed no signs of resistance or fight back.

गुजरात विश्वविद्यालय कुलपति महोदया का बयान उल्टा चोर कोतवाल को डांटे समान है

गुजरात विश्व विद्यालय परिसर में विदेशी छात्रों को सांस्कृतिक संवेदनशीलता का पाठ देने की ख़बर के संबंध में विश्व विद्यालय को खुला पत्र: --- प्रति श्री, कुलपति महोदय गुजरात विश्वविद्यालय अहमदाबाद विषय- गुजरात विश्व विद्यालय परिसर में विदेशी छात्रों को सांस्कृतिक संवेदनशीलता का पाठ देने की ख़बर के संबंध में। महोदया,

સમાજમાં ભાગલા પાડવાના ષડયંત્રકારી ઈડરના પીએસઆઇ ને સસ્પેન્ડ કરવા જોઇયે

મુજાહિદ નફીસ ,  કન્વીનર, માઈનોરિટી કોઓરડીનેશન કમિટી, નો પોલિસ મહાનિદેશક, ગુજરાત, ને પત્ર: --- વિષય- ઈડર (સાબરકાંઠા) માં તરાવીહની નમાજ પઢી બાહર આવતા મુસ્લિમ સમુદાયના લોકોને લાકડી થી મારનાર અને બિભત્સ ગાળો બોલનાર પીએસઆઇ જાદવ ને સસ્પેંડ કરવા બાબતે મહોદય,

અંકલેશ્વર/પાનોલી માં વાંરવાર અકસ્માત ના બનાવો બને છે એ એક ચિંતન નો વિષય છે

- સલીમ પટેલ*  પાનોલી જીઆઇડીસીમાં ઓદ્યોગિક ઘન/પ્રવાહી કચરાનું રીસાયલીંગ કરતી RSPL નામની કમ્પની આવેલ છે. જે અન્ય ઓદ્યોગિક એકમોના રાસાયણિક કચરાને રીસાયલીંગ કરવાનું કામ કરે છે જેમાં અનેક અને દુર –દુર ના એકમોનો રાસાયણિક કચરાને અહિયાં પ્રોસેસ માટે લાવવામાં આવે છે. આ દરમ્યાન 23.03.24 નાં રોજ મોડી સાંજે કોઈ કારણોસર રાસાયણિક કચરામાં આગ લાગતા હોળી પેહલા જ વેસ્ટ કેમિકલ હોળી દહન ના દ્ર્શ્યો સર્જાયા હતા અને તેમાં સોલ્વન્ટ સહીત ના ઝેરી તત્વો શામેલ હોવાના લીધે વાતાવરણ પ્રદુષિત બનતા આસપાસના લોકોમાં ભય ફેલાયો હતો. આ અગાઉ પણ ગત વર્ષે પણ પાનોલી જી આઈ ડી સી માં આગ અકસ્માત નો બનાવ બનતા કેટલાક ગામો ને ખાલી કરવાની ફરજ પડી હતી જે ઘટના ને યાદ કરી પ્રજા માં ભય નું વાતાવરણ સર્જાયું હતું.

Erroneously linked with Maoist party, activist arrested under UAPA for his bold voice

By Harsh Thakor* On Monday 11 th of March , the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of the repressive Indian State presented fabricated charges against Sanjoy Deepak Rao in the jurisdiction of a special court for the NIA in Hyderabad. Sanjoy Deepak Rao, a progressive intellectual from Jammu and Kashmir, was already arrested several times for his bold voice. Last September he was arrested again, in Telangana, this time charged of being a leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a party which leads the People’s War against the old Indian State.