Myanmar officially expressed regret after Bangladesh on Sunday strongly protested its security forces flying helicopters over the Bangladesh-Myanmar border areas , firing of small arms and heavy weapons in the border area and loss of life and property caused by it. The protest was raised by the head of the Bangladesh delegation during a flag meeting between members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) held at Teknaf in Cox's Bazar on Sunday. Read: Home Minister inaugurates Viewer’s Gallery of BGB-BSF Joint Retreat Parade Lt Col Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar, commanding officer of BGB-2 Battalion, led an 8-member Bangladesh delegation while Police Lieutenant Colonel Ye Wai Soe, Commanding Officer, No (1) Border Guard Police Branch, led the 7-member Myanmar delegation at the flag meeting, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer of the BGB headquarters in the evening. During the flag meeting , Bangladesh side also called upon the BGP to maintain a peaceful stand on the border and also to keep a watchful eye so that no shell falls inside Bangladesh in the future as a result of the internal conflict in Myanmar, the BGB PRO said at the flag meeting.

A flag meeting between members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) is underway over the prevailing unrest along the border at Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday morning. Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar, commanding officer of BGB-2 Battalion, is leading the Bangladesh side while Police Lieutenant Colonel Ye Wai Soe, Commanding Officer, No (1) Border Guard Police Branch, the Myanmar side, Shariful Islam, public relations officer of the BGB headquarters told UNB. Read more: Bangladesh Army asks Myanmar Army to be cautious during operations at common border They would discuss the issues related to the border security and prevailing tension, Lieutenant Colonel Khalid said on Saturday. “You have learned what incidents have happened, we will discuss issues, which have triggered tension among our people living along the border,” he said. On September 16, a Rohingya boy was killed and five others injured as a mortar shell fired by the Myanmar army exploded at a Rohingya Camp located at the Zero Point of the border. On the same day, another Bangladeshi young man was seriously injured in a landmine explosion along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban. Read more: Locals in dread as firing inside Myanmar rocks Naikhongchhari Local people said it was the Myanmar army that had planted mines the area. One exploded near the Tombru border. In the face of continuous gunfire and mortar shelling inside Myanmar close to the Bangladesh border local authorities evacuated 30 families from Dochari and Ghumdhum unions at Naikhongchhari on October 23. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently summoned Myanmar envoy to Dhaka several times and formally protested against the move by the Buddhist-majority nation’s military.

Trouble is once more breaking out at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Following multiple military incursions by the Myanmar military across the border, the Bangladesh Army is on high alert and is reviewing its options. Regarding Bangladesh's intentions to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees who are not accepted in their country, both parties are attempting to position themselves. As this most recent altercation develops, it becomes clear that the Rohingya problem requires a regional solution, writes Dr David Brewster – one of Australia’s leading academic experts on strategy and security in the Indian Ocean region and South Asia – in Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter. The Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military, has increasingly violated Bangladeshi territory over the past few weeks. This has included helicopter and jet overflights as well as shelling of areas close to Bangladeshi villages. The most recent incident occurred on September 16 and entailed a mortar attack on the refugee camp in "No Man's Land," which is located directly on the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The narrow border between the two nations has stranded thousands of Rohingya refugees for years. In the incident last week, five people were hurt, including Bangladeshis, and at least one person died. These events can be considered a spillover from the ongoing separatist struggle in Rakhine State, Myanmar. But Bangladeshi officials privately feel that the Tatmadaw is deliberately attempting to sabotage the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh in order to thwart the planned return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. They wonder whether it is merely a coincidence that these episodes took place a few days before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speech to the UN General Assembly, during which she would ask for support from other countries for Bangladesh's intentions to repatriate the Rohingyas. Read: Hasina breaks down in tears while talking about everyday ordeals of Rohingyas Since 2017, after being ethnically cleansed from Rakhine State by Myanmar government forces and local nationalist groups, about one million Rohingya refugees have sought safety in Bangladesh. As their fate is increasingly in doubt between Bangladesh and Myanmar, a conflict between the two nations is theoretically on the horizon if the issue is not handled, Dr Brewster writes. With aid from the international community, Bangladesh has established sizable camps close to the Myanmar border as a kind host for the Rohingya refugees. But as financing and attention from abroad dwindle and local Bangladeshi groups grow more hostile to the refugees, the pressure on the Bangladesh government from inside grows. The Bangladesh government must appear to be making serious efforts to repatriate refugees or find other places for them to live since elections are scheduled for the next year. Early in 2022, Bangladesh and Myanmar resumed talks to repatriate a small number of Rohingyas to that country, with China helping to fund the construction of at least three receiving centres inside Myanmar. The pressure on Myanmar is now being increased by Bangladesh, who is also backing a case brought by the Gambia before the International Court of Justice alleging Myanmar of committing genocide. The UN General Assembly talk Sheikh Hasina gave this week is a part of an effort to keep the Rohingya problem, including their repatriation, in the public eye. However, there is no reason to think that the Rakhine nationalists or the Myanmar government, who forcibly ejected the Rohingyas, would ever welcome their return. In fact, there has recently been discussion about removing even more of the surviving Rohingyas from Myanmar. The latest border events are being viewed by the Bangladeshi administration in the context of its efforts to mobilise the international community in support of repatriations. The Tatmadaw's actions seem designed to elicit a reaction from Bangladesh. Planned repatriations could be stopped and more refugees could leave Myanmar under the cover of an insecure border and the fighting in Rakhine State, Dr Brewster writes.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today (September 1, 2022) said Bangladesh is better prepared so that none can enter from Myanmar now due to the deteriorated situation in Rakhine state. "Our agencies are better prepared. BGB has been instructed to remain vigilant," he told reporters at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shahriar, however, said they do not see any exodus like 2016 and 2017, though some people fear that the rest of Rohingyas will cross over into Bangladesh amid worsening situation in the Myanmar side. He said what is happening in Myanmar is an internal issue of Myanmar. Shahriar said they are giving utmost importance to keep the border secure. Read: We unmasked some people through Bachelet’s visit: Shahriar He said the Myanmar side was warned twice in August following mortar shells landing in Bangladesh territory from Myanmar and strong protest was lodged in this regard. The State Minister said they did not want to prevent those (Rohingyas) in 2016-2017 on humanitarian grounds and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had given those shelters. “But now we have some information which was not available at that time,” he said. Responding to a question, the State Minister said Bangladesh’s air space was not violated this time. “We do not want to step into Myanmar's provocation or trap,” he said, adding that they (Myanmar side) might have a strategic benefit if they can move in such a unilateral direction. Shahriar said the international community knows the true intention of Bangladesh and will keep the diplomatic community informed in advance so that they can understand the situation well if any untoward incident happens. The State Minister said the Myanmar side shows true intention to take back their citizens only when they face pressure from the international community. He said Bangladesh got engaged with Myanmar twice virtually recently to discuss the repatriation issue. Shahriar said the Myanmar side agreed to sit again soon and this time the meeting is likely to be held in-person. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Monday summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Aung Kyaw Moe and lodged a strong protest against Myanmar’s mortar shells landing inside Bangladesh territory a day earlier.

Bangladesh remains vigilant along the border with Myanmar and sees no scope for any untoward incident, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam.

Rohingya leaders from Cox's Bazar camps visited Bhasan Char on Saturday to see facilities over there as the government has planned to relocate some 1 lakh Rohingyas to the island, aiming to ease the pressure on Cox's Bazar camps.