The head of Myanmar’s military government on Tuesday invited ethnic rebels to hold peace talks to end armed conflict across the country, the second time in less than a month that the ruling generals have publicly promoted negotiations. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s proposal was broadcast on state television on the ninth anniversary of the signing of its nationwide cease-fire agreement. About half of the nation’s 21 established ethnic armed organizations agreed to the pact but some no longer honor it. Last month, the military announced its most direct invitation for peace talks since it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. It was aimed at the broader pro-democracy forces that have also taken up arms as well as the ethnic groups, but was quickly rejected. In Tuesday’s brief broadcast, Min Aung Hlaing said the ruling military council will only follow the framework of its existing cease-fire agreement for peace and appealed to the ethnic armed groups to negotiate their issues through dialogue. “Wishes can’t be demanded through armed violence, but through dialogue at the political table with peaceful means to resolve the conflict,” Min Aung Hlaing said. Myanmar for several decades has seen a cycle of cease-fires bringing in intermittent periods of relative peace, but none have led to a comprehensive political settlement that would grant the ethnic groups the degree of autonomy they seek in the frontier regions where they are dominant. The army is currently on the defensive against ethnic militias in much of the country, as well as hundreds of armed guerrilla groups collectively called People’s Defense Forces, formed to fight to restore democracy after the army takeover. Read: Bangladesh protests killing of Bangladeshi fisherman by Myanmar Navy Over the past year, the army has suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats, and the initiative seems to be in the hands of the resistance forces. In October 2015, eight ethnic armed groups signed the cease-fire agreement, and in February 2018, under Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, two more joined. The cease-fire was seen by the military as a step toward ending the longstanding ethnic rebellions. Maintaining the cease-fire with as many groups as possible is tactically crucial for the military government so it doesn’t have to fight a strong and united opposition. Some of the largest and most powerful groups, including the Kachin Independence Army and United Wa State Army, did not endorse the agreement, which they viewed as lacking inclusiveness. Min Aung Hlaing said that some groups that signed it broke the agreement after the 2021 army takeover, aligning themselves with the shadow National Unity Government, the main opposition group against military rule. Armed militias representing the Karen, Chin and Pa-O minorities, along with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, have spurned peace talks. Read more: Myanmar's military government begins a census seen as a way to gather information about opponents “I see that what the military is doing is only creating conditions that will prolong the military dictatorship,” said Aye Lwin, the spokesperson of the students’ front. “There is currently no reason to accept the military-led dialogue.”

An ISPR release has sought to quell speculation and calm nerves around the situation prevailing at the Bangladesh-Myanmar maritime boundary adjacent to St Martin's island. The ISPR, or Inter Services Public Relations, is the public communications wing of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. It said in the context of ongoing internal conflicts in Myanmar, the Myanmar military is conducting joint operations against the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. Due to this conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, there have been incidents of unwanted firing on Bangladeshi boats in the Naf River and the adjacent estuary area. BGB Chief orders heightened vigilance along Bangladesh-Myanmar border The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh expressed deep concern and protested the danger posed to Bangladeshi subjects on June 12, 2024. The ISPR release sent today said the Myanmar Navy is positioning near the maritime boundary of Myanmar and the Naf River, near St. Martin's Island, and firing artillery towards the positions of the Arakan Army. At the same time, the Arakan Army is also firing back at the Myanmar Navy. Currently, multiple warships of the Myanmar Navy are conducting these operations on the Myanmar border. The Myanmar Navy is also keeping the Bangladesh Navy informed about its presence in Myanmar’s maritime boundary near St. Martin’s Island. It is noteworthy that the internal conflict in Myanmar continues on the mainland and the adjacent coastal areas. Furthermore, near St. Martin's Island, multiple ships of the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard are regularly patrolling from within Bangladesh’s maritime boundary, monitoring the movements of Myanmar’s ships. "As the ongoing internal conflict in Myanmar approaches near St. Martin's, there have been various rumors spread by interested parties on social media regarding the security of St. Martin's. Everyone is requested not to be misled by such rumors," the ISPR said. Read more: Need to find new partners to raise more int’l fund for Rohingyas: PM Hasina to IOM

A moderate earthquake jolted parts of Bangladesh including Dhaka on Sunday (June 02, 2024) afternoon. The earthquake, measuring 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale, was felt at 2: 44 pm which lasted for a few seconds, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The earthquake jolted Dhaka, Rangamati, Cumilla, Cox’s Bazar and Khagrachhari districts, said Farzana Sultana, assistant meteorologist of BMD. 5.4 magnitude earthquake jolts Bangladesh: USGS The epicentre of the earthquake was located at Mawlaik, Myanmar. The distance of the epicenter was 441 km south east from the BMD Seismic Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka, according to BMD. No damage due to the earthquake was reported at the time of filing this report. A cluster of earthquakes shakes Taiwan after a strong quake killed 13 earlier this month

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday (May 07, 2024) urged the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to search for new partners to increase the international fund for Rohingyas who have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape persecution in Myanmar. “Since the the assistance for Rohingyas has declined, the IOM should look for new partners to raise more funds for them,” she said. The premier made this call when IOM Director General Amy Pope paid a courtesy call on her at the latter’s official residence Ganabhaban. PM’s Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting. PM opens newly constructed AFIP Bhaban, Sena Prangan Bhaban in Dhaka Cantonment During the meeting, they discussed the UN joint response plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis as the international fund for supporting Rohingya refugees has significantly declined.    Hasina also asked IOM to help relocate more Rohingyas to Bhashanchar (island) from Cox’s Bazar camps as accommodation and livelihood facilities are there including self-employment, education for their children, healthcare services and infrastructures for some 100,000 people in Bhashanchar. Some 30,000-35,000 Rohingyas have already relocated to Bhashanchar from Cox’s Bazar camps. The IOM Director General who visited Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps on Monday raised the security issue in the camps. In this context, the premier said now conflict continues in Myanmar and Rohingya people are also divided in different groups and sub-groups in the overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar. So, they are engaged in internal conflicts, she added. Stay away from upazila polls: PM Hasina tells ministers and AL MPs Besides, the Rohingya people have outnumbered the host community  in Cox’s Bazar. So, there are,conflicts for limited resources there, she said. She, however, said adequate number of law enforcement agencies have been deployed to maintain the law and order in the Rohingya camps areas. Talking about migration, IOM Director General Amy Pope stressed the need for imparting proper training to migrants on demand-driven skills, language and culture of the destination countries. In response, the prime minister said her government has attached topmost priority to imparting training on trade-based skills and languages. She said her government has taken up many programmes including a bank loan scheme for the welfare of expatriates. “Both source and host countries should protect the interest of migrants as they contribute to both economies,” said Hasina. Noting that migration is a natural process, she said if poverty reduces, the intensity of migrants would decline. In this time, she mentioned the poverty rate has declined sharply in Bangladesh in the last 15 years and now the extreme poverty rate is only 5.6 percent here. Talking about the internal migration, PM Hasina said people also migrated internally for the climate change as Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries for the climate change impacts. The people are being migrated internally for river erosion, flood and cyclone, she said. She said her government gives houses to climate-induced refugees under the Ashrayan project. More than 4,000 climate refugees were already given abodes alone at Khurushkul in Cox's Bazar by construction of multi-storied buildings there, she cited. The PM said her government also gives the homeless people the climate-resilient houses on the coastal areas and floating houses in flood-prone areas free of cost. Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Ruhul Amin were present.  

Amid the ongoing conflicts along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, five Rohingya people including a woman with bullet injuries, entered Bangladesh through Shah Porir Dwip jetty in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar. The intruders came here from Myanmar crossing the Naf River and arrived at Shah Porir Dwip Jetty Ghat in Teknaf around 4 pm, said Abdus Salam, UP member of ward number 9 of Teknaf Sabarang Union. 330 officials handed over to Myanmar Later, "We informed BGB members and they reached the spot," he added. However, no statement was received from Teknaf Border Guard BGB in this regard. Unidentified man’s body found along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar

A delegation from Myanmar, led by Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe, arrived at the Naval jetty ghat in Inani, Cox’s Bazar district, on Thursday (February 15, 2024), aboard a speedboat at 9:50 am, to repatriate 330 members of the Myanmar security forces and others who had sought refuge in Bangladesh.  The group had crossed into Bangladesh, fleeing clashes between the Myanmar military and armed rebel groups. Read: 330 BGP members, others to be handed over to Myanmar authorities Thursday: BGB  The repatriation, supervised by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), involves individuals including members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP). The process was earlier confirmed by BGB's public relations officer, Shariful Islam, who also noted that the transfer involved six buses transporting the individuals from Nhila and Ghumdum points to Inani earlier that day. Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, had previously indicated that the repatriation of these individuals was imminent, amidst ongoing border tensions and skirmishes in the Bandarban's Naikhongchhari area. In light of the conflict, the BGB and Coast Guard have ramped up surveillance efforts to prevent further crossings. This border tension has led to casualties on the Bangladeshi side, including the deaths of a Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man due to mortar shell impacts from Myanmar. An unidentified body was also found on February 8 in the Rahmaterbil border area of Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, as reported by Md Shamim Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Ukhiya Police Station. Read: DMP forms 'quick response team' to ease movements of SSC examinees   Additionally, on February 9, BGB personnel detained 23 Rohingyas with 12 firearms and 868 rounds of ammunition as they attempted to cross into Bangladesh. A case was subsequently filed under the Arms Act at Ukhiya police station, with a court ordering a 3-day remand for each individual involved.

Shafiul Alam, a resident of Ghumdhum’s Jalpaitoli, a once quiet village in the border district of Bandarban, is now counting his days wracked by a complex cocktail of human emotions. His life took an unexpected turn on February 5, as his mother lost her life when a stray mortar shell fired from Myanmar landed in their under-construction house, which also left his two children with shrapnel wounds on their feet, and took the life of a Rohingya construction worker. He is not even in a situation to grieve properly as he has to think about how to treat his children with little to no help. The children only survived as they were inside their home at the time, while their grandmother was serving lunch to the construction worker.   2 SSC exam centres along BD-Myanmar border relocated Bandarban's Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin and Superintendent of Police Saikat Shahin later paid a visit to the family. A mere donation of Tk 20,000 was offered as immediate assistance, but the bereaved family expressed dissatisfaction with the government's support process.  Their plea is clear: they seek international intervention to ensure justice and an end to their current situation of fearing for their lives every moment of the day. Shafiul is not alone, the repercussions of Myanmar's civil war extend beyond Shafiul's family. Thousands of bordering residents of the country are now passing each day fearing for their lives. Don’t want to share specific date but Myanmar security forces to go back soon: Hasan Mahmud In Tumbru and surrounding areas, at least 12 people have been shot and injured, their suffering further exacerbated by the lack of medical treatment and government support. The victims are now only pleading for assistance, to save their lives which reveals a bitter reality of the toll that geopolitical strife takes on ordinary lives. Unidentified man’s body found along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar

The Bangladesh Consulate in Sittwe, Myanmar will soon be shifted to Yangon on a temporary basis due to the current security situation there. “A verbal instruction has already been given. Process is underway,” a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB on Sunday (February 11, 2024). Other foreign missions stationed in Sittwe are also moving to Yangon on security grounds. Read more: 327 Myanmar security forces taking shelter in Bangladesh: BGB Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said the process of sending back the Myanmar security forces who took shelter in Bangladesh is underway following discussions between the two countries. He said it was not just the members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) and army who had fled to Bangladesh, there were some civilians too. And over a hundred people have also entered India. "They also took them back (from India). Several members of their families, along with their border forces and army, have also fled from Myanmar to our country. Our Ambassador had a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Myanmar. Myanmar agreed to take them back," said the Foreign Minister. Read more: Myanmar border unrest: Tourist ship services on Teknaf-Saint Martin’s route suspended indefinitely

The local administration has suspended the movement of tourist ships on the Teknaf-Saint Martin’s route from February 10 until further notice due to unrest along the Myanmar border. Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate Yamin Hossain confirmed the matter on Wednesday (February 07, 2024) night. 64 more members of Myanmar security forces enter Bangladesh on Wednesday: BGB Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury said all ships will be able to operate on the Teknaf-St Martin’s route til Friday (February 9). Although the movement of tourist ships from Teknaf will be closed, the movement of ships from Chattogram and Cox's Bazar will continue, he added. 327 Myanmar security forces taking shelter in Bangladesh: BGB Meanwhile, tension is increasing on the Naikhongchhari border in Bandarban as the violent bconflict in Myanmar has not stopped. Firing is still going on on the other side of the border. Locals are fleeing their homes in panic as gunfire has increased in the border areas of Ghumdhum and Tumbru over the last few days. In the last few days of conflict inside Myanmar, life on the other side has come to a standstill, and local residents are living in fear. What the BGB DG said during visit to Bangladesh-Myanmar border today After inspecting the border situation on February 6, Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin urged locals to remain alert in the Ghumdhum border area of Naikhongchhari as well as to go to the shelter centres. BGB’s Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui also urged the border residents to go to safe shelters.

Amid the ongoing conflicts along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, 63 more Myanmar forces and border guards have taken shelter in Bangladesh till Wednesday noon, taking the total number to 327, said BGB sources. A total of 327 Myanmar forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials have taken shelter in Bangladesh, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The 63 Myanmar forces have entered Bangladesh today with arms through Whaikhong in Teknaf border. The BGB disarmed them and took them to a safe shelter, the PRO said. Read: What the BGB DG said during visit to Bangladesh-Myanmar border today In a statement during his visit to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar today (February 7, 2024), Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, newly appointed Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), declared the force’s high alert status to address any potential border-related incidents. During the visit, Major General Siddiqui underscores the BGB’s commitment to maintaining security and sovereignty while adhering to humanitarian principles and fostering positive international relations. “The border situation is fully under control, and we are dedicated to managing it with patience, humanitarian considerations, and in a manner that respects our international obligations, as directed by the Prime Minister. Under no circumstances will illegal entry into Bangladesh be permitted,” Major General Siddiqui emphasized. His remarks came during a thorough inspection of the border outposts at Tambru and Ghumdum areas within the Naikhongchhari upazila. This tour included assessments of the operational conditions and morale among BGB personnel stationed along this critical frontier. Read: No more Rohingyas to be allowed in: New BGB Chief A Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man were killed following an explosion of a mortar shell at a house in Jolpaitoli under Ghumdum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban district on Monday. Besides, academic activities of five government primary schools in Naikhangchhari upazila have been suspended.