Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar, the United States has said helping resolve Rohingya refugee crisis remains a priority for them.  "So we are following this development closely. We’re remained concerned by the conflict and its potential to undermine regional stability and security," Spokesperson at US Department of State Matthew Miller said during a regular media briefing in Washington on December 17. He made the remarks when a reporter wanted to know how the US is assessing the situation and the fate of the Rohingya refugees, noting that the Arakan Army has taken control of the Rakhine state. UN reappoints Dr Debapriya to Committee for Development Policy The people and government of Bangladesh have shown generosity in hosting Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Myanmar, Miller said.  "We will continue to work with Bangladesh to support Rohingya and members of other vulnerable communities from Burma (Myanmar) who have taken refuge there," he said. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Dr Yunus, Ramos-Horta express optimism for stronger partnership

Thai police on Saturday said two suspects were in custody as authorities investigated a bombing in the north that killed at least three people and injured dozens of others. An explosive device was thrown into a crowd during an outdoor performance at an annual festival in Umphang town in Tak province, which borders Myanmar, on Friday just before midnight, according to the Association of the Umphang Rescue Groups. Local police said at least 48 people were injured and that police have not yet pressed charges against the suspects as the investigation is ongoing. Thanathip Sawangsang, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, told The Associated Press that local police said there was a fight between rival groups of men before the explosion and that there was no wider security threat. He said the forensic evidence showed that the explosive device was a homemade bomb. South Korean lawmakers to vote on Impeachment of President Yoon over martial law decree Tak province has a heavy military presence in its border areas, including in Umphang. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her condolences to the victims and their families, and ordered security personnel and relevant agencies in the area to investigate and help those who have been affected, said government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsap.  

Dr Khalilur Rahman, High Representative on Rohingya Crisis and Matters of Priority to the Chief Adviser, on Friday said Bangladesh would not take any hasty step over Rohingya issue without any proper assessment regarding the emerging situation in Rakhine state of Myanmar. “We’re keeping watch on the emerging situation in Rakhine….. We don’t want to do anything hastily. We’ll not take any step without deep consideration,” he said, joining a discussion here in the capital through a virtual platform. Unity for Bangladesh, a non-profit youth-based voluntary organisation, arranged the discussion titled ‘Rohingya Crisis and Regional Security: Pertinent Considerations of Bangladesh’ at Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium in Dhaka University in the afternoon. Dr Rahman said the issue is not only a humanitarian matter but also is an issue of the internal security or national security of Bangladesh. “So, we’ll take our next steps following sufficient assessments,” he said.   He said a standoff situation continues in Rakhine state as the Arakan Army has taken control of some 80-85 percent areas of the estate particularly the main lands of Rohingya there has completely gone under the control of the Arakan Army, a non-state actor. Dr Rahman said Bangladesh needs to wait until the final situation in Myanmar. “Our future engagement will depend on the situation that would stand there,” he added. Prof CR Abrar, an expert on migration and refugee issues, stressed the need for making a significant investment in this Rohingya community for their education, health and livelihood and other training in order to make them enable for repatriation to their mother land with dignity and recognition of their identity. Read: Turkey to help Bangladesh resolve Rohingya crisis: Envoy He said Bangladesh needs to choose its allies to educate this community as it is an international responsibility. And all international bodies and communities would be too happy to provide all forms of support to this community for their education, health and training purposes. Noting that what has been done in the name of their education is nothing effective, Prof Abrar said, “If they could stand in a strong position, then both the Arakan Army and Burmese Junta will take them back.”   He said Bangladesh should make a significant departure from this current policy and enable this community so that they can defend them and their rights. “I think our strength (over dealing with the Rohingya issue) will come when we make a significant investment in this community,” said Prof Abrar. Lt Gen (retd) Mahfuzur Rahman, former principal staff officer at the Armed Forces Division, stressed for adopting proper policy to take benefits of the geopolitical and geostrategic advantages. “I think we need to revisit our existing policy,” he said.    He stressed the need for developing Rohingya as human resources and creating leadership among them.    Mahfuzur said Bangladesh missed its opportunity three times from 2017 and 2024 to get a solution to the Rohingya issue and now it is going to miss the fourth opportunity. He said Bangladesh missed the first opportunity by not keeping displaced Rohingya in no man’s land during the 2017 exodus, and the second one in 2022 by refusing the Arakan Army in 2022 when its chief sought humanitarian support and sympathy from Bangladesh and said they would take back Rohingya and the third one in February, 2024 by not taking some Rohingyas to a place inside Myanmar when the Bangladesh-Myanmar border remained unguarded for three weeks following the flee of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police. Read more:Rohingya repatriation: UNGA resolution decides to hold high-level conference in 2025 to propose a time-bound plan Noting that now the National Unity Government is willing to accept Rohingyas, provide their citizenship, the retired general said Bangladesh might miss this opportunity as well. Maj Gen (retd) Nayeem Ashfak Chowdhury, a security analyst, and Dr Saima Ahmed, an international relations teacher in Dhaka University and writer Altaf Parvez also spoke at the discussion presided over by Monzur Moin, the spokesman of the Unity for Bangladesh.

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim AA Khan on Wednesday announced that he is filing an application for a warrant of arrest against Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing before Pre-Trial Chamber I. After an extensive, independent and impartial investigation, his office has concluded that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that Senior General and acting President Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Defence Services, bears "criminal responsibility" for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya, committed in Myanmar, and in part in Bangladesh. This is the first application for an arrest warrant against a high-level Myanmar government official that his office is filing. Since 14 November 2019, they have been investigating alleged crimes committed during the 2016 and 2017 waves of violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar, and the subsequent exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh. ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan to visit Bangladesh Nov 25-28; will meet Prof Yunus "My office alleges that these crimes were committed between 25 August 2017 and 31 December 2017 by the armed forces of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, supported by the national police, the border guard police, as well as non-Rohingya civilians," Khan, who is visiting Bangladesh, said in a statement. Today’s application draws upon a wide variety of evidence from numerous sources such as witness testimonies, including from a number of insider witnesses, documentary evidence and authenticated scientific, photographic and video materials. In collecting this evidence, the office has benefitted from the crucial support of States, civil society partners and international organisations. In particular, the cooperation, the confidence and the steadfast commitment from the Rohingya community, the support of the government of Bangladesh, and excellent cooperation from the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar have been essential to advancing this investigation, Khan said. "I wish in particular to express my deep, profound gratitude to the Rohingya. More than a million members of their community have been forced to flee violence in Myanmar," he said, adding that they are grateful to all those who provided testimony and support to his office, those that have shared their stories, those that have given us information and material. Yunus, ICC discuss ways to file crimes against humanity case in July-Aug massacre In his visits to the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar over the last three years, including just Tuesday, Khan met Rohingya women who spoke with clarity and purpose about the need for accountability. "I sat with youth activists who wanted to play their own role in seeking justice. And I spoke with men of all ages including the old and the sick, who were united in demanding to be seen and to have accountability for what befell them," he said, adding that their work seeks to vindicate their resilience and their hope in the power of the law. Khan said it is now for the judges of the International Criminal Court to determine whether this application meets the necessary standard for the issuance of an arrest warrant.  "In the event that the independent judges of the ICC issue the requested warrant, we will coordinate closely with the Registrar of the Court in all efforts to arrest the named individual," Khan said. When he first travelled to Bangladesh, he announced that they would seek to accelerate their investigations, and they committed to providing additional resources in that effort. "Since then, we have reinvigorated our activities in line with that promise. Today marks a culmination of this renewed focus in relation to this situation," Khan said. He said they will continue this focus in the coming weeks and months as we submit additional applications in this situation. "In doing so, we will be demonstrating, together with all of our partners, that the Rohingya have not been forgotten. That they, like all people around the world, are entitled to the protection of the law," Khan said.

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.