BGB trooper was not in uniform: Myanmar

Myanmar claims its border patrol opened fire on those they believed were insurgents of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) known to be active in the area marred by clashes between its border guards and those from Bangladesh.

Speaking to Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Pol-Col Min Aung, the deputy-director of the Burmese Defence and Security Department in Naypyidaw, pointed out that the suspects were not wearing Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) uniforms nor Bangladeshi insignia, and were therefore assumed to be insurgents.

“None of the men we encountered had insignia,” he said. “They were in yellow camouflage uniforms without armbands. If they had been BGB, they should have been wearing their insignia. They were shot at because they encroached on our territory without any identifiable insignia, leading our troops to assume they were insurgents.”

Bangladesh said its border guards were fired upon by their Burmese counterparts, and that one of their troops, Nayek Md Mizanur Rahman, went missing.

An agreement was made for the Burmese to hand over the body of the dead man for identification on Friday at a prearranged spot on a common border post, but a fresh gun battle erupted and the handover was not completed.

Both sides blame each other for the altercation leading to the second skirmish, writes DVB.

Dhaka has since lodged a strong protest with Myanmar Ambassador Myo Myint who was summoned to its Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Nayek Md Mizanur Rahman's body was finally handed over to the BGB on Saturday.

However, in its own statement on Saturday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “the two diplomatic notes from the Bangladesh side are totally far from the real situation on the ground.”

It maintained that Burmese troops “opened fire on two suspected armed Bengalis … who were intruding into Myanmar territory about 80 feet from the border line. The Myanmar troops neither opened fire on any BGB members nor captured a BGB corporal. It was found out that the outfit worn by the person caught dead did not match the BGB uniform.”

“Bengali” is a commonly used term in Burma for members of the Rohingya community.

Following the statement, Burmese President’s Office Director Zaw Htay told DVB: “We have strong evidence that the RSOs are conducting maneuvers and creating problems in the area.”

But the chief of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed, speaking to reporters after a BGB team brought back Mizanur’s body on Saturday, said Myanmar’s claim was baseless.

“We told them very clearly that there was no such organisation in Bangladesh and will never be.”

“We told them to give us information, if any, on where in Bangladesh the RSO is located or has set up camps so we can drive them away.”

He said the BGB, after a flag meeting with their Myanmar counterparts, launched operations in Bandarban’s Naikhangchharhi in collaboration with the Bangladesh Army but did not find any RSO base.

While maintaining that Burma would not tolerate any incursions into its sovereign territory, Zaw Htay said that the matter would be better resolved through diplomatic means.

“It is better to resolve this dispute through border committees and government channels in a spirit of mutual understanding,” he said.

“But the point is that we cannot accept any insurgent group on our land. We work with India on this issue, and I hope we can also work with Bangladesh.”

Zaw Htay maintained that Burma’s security forces had made no mistake and that they had engaged with an armed group thought to be RSO.

“Our ambassador in Bangladesh explained this to their government and provided evidence,” he said. “The fighting took place on our territory. Our security forces shot at men in guerrilla uniforms who were not sporting any insignia or arm bands. The clash occurred along a route frequently used by the RSO.”