Hasan says the mortar shells were dropped in Bangladesh due to the ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army and the government forces of Myanmar
Published : 29 Jan 2024, 07:53 PM
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has said Dhaka is communicating with Myanmar’s government amid growing tensions in the country’s Rakhine state.
While speaking to the reporters on Monday, Hasan said that mortar shells were dropped in Bangladesh due to the ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army and the government forces of Myanmar.
“Our border guards are on alert,” he emphasised.
Residents of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf and Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari have been living in fear due to the heavy shelling and clashes between the armies in Myanmar.
Some also reported seeing helicopters hovering near the border and frequent sounds of heavy mortar shells being dropped in the region.
The dropping of at least five mortar shells in Bangladesh was reported by several news outlets in the country on Sunday.
The foreign minister said he was hopeful that no more mortar shells will be dropped in Bangladesh.
“We are being very cautious about this,” he added.
Over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after Aug 25, 2017 amid the conflict in Myanmar.
As many as 1.1 million Rohingya are now living in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf and Ukhiya camps.
Despite various initiatives being taken by the government for the repatriation of Rohingya, not a single Rohingya individual has been able to return to Myanmar in almost seven years.