DHAKA: Bangladesh has admonished Myanmar to disengage its troops and equipment from the border where thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution have sought shelter.
Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary has summoned Myanmar’s ambassador after Myanmar’s troops appeared at the border on Thursday.
“Military build up will create confusion within Bangladesh and escalate tensions on the border,” he said.
The “no-mans land” at the border, where over 5,000 Rohingya escaped to, is technically a part of Myanmar’s territory but lies immediately beyond the border fence.
Reports suggest between 100-200 soldiers equipped with mortars and heavy machine guns appeared at the border and told the Rohingyas over loudspeakers to vacate the area. Refugees claim that the troops have been harassing them after weeks of extra patrols.
Bangladesh’s border troops were told that Myanmar’s border management authorities were “away or busy elsewhere,” after they requested a meeting.
“We are sending them a protest note… they have removed heavy weapons, such as machine guns and mortars, from the area after our verbal protests,” said Bangladesh border official Brigadier General Mujibur Rahman.
More than 10,000 Rohingya’s have died since Myanmar began a crackdown in the Rakhine state in what the United Nations has termed as “ethnic cleansing.”