Bangladesh seals border with Myanmar to deter Rohingya influx amid tensions

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said his country has completely sealed its border with Myanmar in order to deter any possible influx of Rohingya, a minority Muslim community, amid ongoing unrest in the neighboring country.

Momen made the remarks during a news conference in New York on Tuesday night to explain Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to the US to attend the 77th UN General Assembly, an audio of which was released by the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka.

"We have yet to begin the repatriation, and we are dealing with a large number of Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in our country. We will not accept a single Rohingya anymore," Momen said, adding that the Bangladesh army and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are on high alert across the borderlines.

Bangladesh is currently hosting above 1.2 million persecuted Rohingya, most of whom fled genocide in their home country of Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017.

He said armed clashes are taking place between the army and a rebel group in the hilly forest areas of Myanmar adjacent to Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Bandarban.

“It is Myanmar’s internal affair. They have assured us that the mortar shells or gun bullets landed inside Bangladesh or in no man’s land during the fighting were unintentional,” the top diplomat said.

Last week, a Rohingya youth was killed and five others were injured in an explosion of a mortar shell fired by the Myanmar army in the no man’s land where nearly 4,500 stateless Rohingya have been living since August 2017.

Asked about the repeated cross-border shelling by the Myanmar army, he said Bangladesh has no plan to involve in any war with its neighbor and that the prevailing crisis will be solved through diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister said Bangladeshi Premier Hasina has met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on the sidelines of the UNGA.

During the meeting, she raised the Rohingya repatriation issue as a sustainable solution to the crisis. “In reply to the premier, the high commissioner said that he would visit Myanmar soon to assess the situation there,” Momen said.

The premier also held a meeting with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Asad Ahmad Khan KC, and assured him of Bangladesh’s wholehearted support in all ongoing trial procedures and investigations into atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar.