Sadrul Ain:
Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said Bangladesh is maintaining contact with Myanmar's Arakan Army (AA) to ensure border security.
He also commented that we are 'at a crossroads' regarding the Rohingya.
He made these remarks while briefing journalists after exchanging views with officials from the Home and Agriculture Ministries at the Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner's conference room at around 11:15 am on Saturday (March 1).
He said, there is import-export trade with Myanmar at Teknaf land port. But since the Arakan Army took over Rakhine State, they have been creating obstacles to the movement of ships for border trade.
They have already detained many ships. They have taken many Bangladeshi fishermen. These incidents are disrupting the normal trade situation. For this reason, Dhaka is maintaining contact with the Arakan Army, which has occupied most of Myanmar's Rakhine state, in the interests of securing the country's borders and repatriating the Rohingya.
Responding to questions from journalists at a briefing after the meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin, the advisor further said that kidnapping and the spread of drugs have increased in Cox's Bazar.
These issues are often reported in the media. You (journalists) and the local community know who is doing these things. We have given shelter to the Rohingyas for humanitarian reasons.
Although on paper it is said to be 1.2 million, the real number is even higher. They have become a thorn in our side. Without their repatriation, it is difficult to stop criminal activities in the border areas. Again, their quick repatriation is not possible. In other words, we are in a 'snake' situation with the Rohingya.
When attention was drawn to the increase in encroachments, fights, and robberies in tourist areas due to party affiliation, the Home Affairs Advisor said, "We are not working at the behest of any party."
Whatever needs to be done for the welfare of the country is being done. No one in the administration has been told by any department to show sympathy to people of such and such a party. If any leader or worker of a party is involved in encroachment or any other crime, I am instructing the district police and concerned to take strict action against them based on evidence. The administration will take action not based on party considerations, but on the crime itself.
However, he said, "There is a disease in our administration, which is to give oil in advance to the leaders and activists of that party based on the possibility of who might come to power. There are no instructions from higher-ups or ministries here."
In the wake of the ongoing war in Myanmar, BGB Battalion 64 is embarking on a journey to Ukhia today (March 1) to increase border security and eliminate drug smuggling, Rohingya infiltration, and human trafficking.
Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (retd) Jahangir Al Chowdhury arrived in Cox's Bazar on February 28 for a two-day visit to discuss these issues. He will leave Cox's Bazar on the afternoon of March 1.
Meanwhile, on February 27, at a discussion on the topic of 'The situation in Rakhine and its impact on Bangladesh' at North-South University in Dhaka, Khalilur Rahman, the special representative of the interim government's principal advisor on the Rohingya issue and priority issues, made the first public statement that 'Bangladesh is in contact with the Arakan Army'. Two days later, the home affairs advisor repeated the same statement in Cox's Bazar.
According to information, General Min Aung Hlaing seized power in Myanmar in February 2021 by overthrowing the elected government. Since then, violence has erupted in the country. The Arakan Army is fighting for autonomy in Rakhine. The Arakan Army controls the entire 271-kilometer border between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
According to the current government, the day the Arakan Army raised their flag on the border, it was understood that this was a new world. Therefore, they had to be involved. It was understood that it was very important to send a signal to the Arakan Army.
We have to protect our borders, secure them and make sure that we work in cooperation with whoever is on the other side. We are communicating with them at a certain level. Khalilur Rahman met with Julie Bishop, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar, before communicating with the Arakan Army, it was reported.
The government also said that while humanitarian considerations take priority, the Arakan Army must comply with international human rights law.
In addition, open dialogue must be continued with all relevant parties, including the Arakan Army, to maintain stability in the southeastern border.
