Over 100 more BGP members take shelter in Naikhongchhari

Over 100 members of Border Guard Police (BGP) of Myanmar took shelter in Naikhongchhari again within a few hours of 29 BGP members taking shelter there on Monday.

According to the local public representatives, some 29 BGP members entered Bangladesh through the area near pillar-45 along the Jamchhari border in Naikhongchhari union and sought shelter at the border outpost of the BGB 11 battalion. The BGB men disarmed them and gave them shelter in the nearby tea garden owned by local resident Nurul Alam. Later, they were sent to Sadar upazila of the district.

Right before the evening, more than 100 other BGP members took shelter in Naikhongchhari again. The members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) informed the battalion commander after learning about this. Later, senior BGB officials reached the spot. They were disarming the BGP members at the time of writing this report.

Several sources said the number of BGP members is 146. local deputy commissioner also said that the number could be between 130-140.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Naikhongchhari union parishad chairman Nurul Absar said, the BGP members have been exchanging fire with the members of Arakan Army for the last few days. Failing to contain the Arakan fighters, they resorted to Bangladesh. Several border outposts of the BGP have been damaged in the fight. As a result, the BGP members found themselves isolated at one point.

Nurul Absar further said they have news from the other side of the border that it has become hard for the BGP members to survive amid the crisis of food and medical facilities in the face of the fierce attack of the Arakan Army.

Naikhongchhari upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Mohammad Zakaria said they haven’t heard any sound of firing in the areas near the border in the last one week. The locals said those 29 BGP members fled to Bangladesh after being chased by the Arakan Army.

Earlier, as many as 330 Myanmar citizens fled to Bangladesh through the Whykong border in Teknaf and the Ghumdhum border in Naikhongchhari upazila, including members of BGP and Myanmar Army and customs officials. Later, the BGB sent back all of them to Myanmar on 15 February.

The clash between the BGP of Myanmar and the Arakan Army started 2 February across the Naikhongchhari border. Following that, some 330 Myanmar citizens took shelter in Bangladesh, including 302 BGP members, four of their family members, two army personnel, 18 immigration officials and four civilians.