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.

After a long closure, tourist ship service on the Teknaf-Saint Martin's island route will resume on November 16 on trial basis, said officials on Sunday. Additional district magistrate Md Abu Sufiyan said after safe return of the trial run on Tuesday, a decision will be made on continuing the service on this route. AKM Anwar Hossain, officer of Cox’s Bazar Keari Tours and Travels, said they have already received the release paper from the district commissioner, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Department of Shipping. “If everything works out fine, ship service will operate again for tourists travelling to Saint Martin. Already a huge number of tourists have started pre-booking the tickets," he said. Read: Tourist ship operations suspended on Teknaf-Saint Martin's Island route “Due to ship service remaining suspended our business has gone down. We’ve already decorated the hotels to start welcoming tourists again after getting the good news of ship service getting back to normal,” said Abdul Malek, owner of Sea Probal Hotel at Saint Martin’s Island. Saint Martin’s UP member Habibur Rahman said the environment became lively at the news of trial ship service but the broken jetty has not been mended yet properly. “The concern of risk remains if more than one ship anchors at the jetty at once as it is not fully prepared,” he said. Due to unfavorable weather and inoperable jetty, ship services to Saint Martin’s Island have remained suspended for a long time. The decision to start the service on a trial basis came following the visit of a district administrative team a few days ago.