BDR deployment reinforced along Myanmar border

[Al-Zakir]

BDR deployment reinforced along Myanmar border
Tension mounts over intrusion, fencing move

Wednesday October 07 2009 01:27:21 AM BDT

Raheed Ejaz

Bangladesh has reinforced paramilitary troop deployment along the border with Myanmar in the wake of the latest surge in tension. All but essential leaves of Bangladesh Rifles personnel have been cancelled. (The New Age BD)

Tension mounted along the Naikhyangchhari border in Bandarban after Myanmar had resumed border fencing Friday. Myanmar on Saturday also reinforced army deployment on its side of the border.

The home ministry in letters sent to the director general of the Bangladesh Rifles and the inspector general of police on Tuesday asked them to keep their forces �on alert� along the border with Myanmar.

Dhaka may need to resume diplomatic efforts to stop intrusion of Myanmar citizens into the Bangladesh territory seeking shelter or employment, a home ministry official said, referring to the latest communications with the foreign ministry.

�Troop deployment in the border has been reinforced and all but essential leaves of BDR personnel have been cancelled,� Major General Mohammad Mainul Islam, director general of the Bangladesh Rifles, told New Age on Tuesday.

He said BDR troops had been deployed along sensitive areas in the border and other preparation had also been made.

The home ministry official further said intrusion of Myanmar citizens into Bangladesh was damaging Bangladesh�s overseas

labour market and reputation of Bangladeshi workers.

�Most of the illegal migrant workers, including boatmen in Cox�s Bazar, Bandarban and other places along the Bangladesh coast are Myanmar citizens,� the source said, quoting an intelligence agency report.

The report observed intrusion of Myanmar citizens, including refugees, emerged a new threat to Bangladesh�s internal security and job market.

In the context, the source said the government �should take renewed steps to increase engagement through diplomatic channels for the repatriation of Myanmar Rohingya refugees.� Myanmar needs to be persuaded to stop fresh intrusion by its citizens into Bangladesh, the source said.

The recent trouble in the relations between the two neighbouring countries had started since November 2008 as Myanmar�s naval ship intruded into Bangladesh�s territorial waters.

The standoff in the Bay of Bengal resulted from Myanmar�s intrusion into Bangladesh�s territorial waters for oil and gas exploration in 2008.

Bilateral tension also mounted when Myanmar began barbed wire fencing along the border with Bangladesh early this year.

Bangladesh resumed its negotiation with Myanmar on maritime delimitation in 2008, after about three decades. The series of discussions are yet to make any headway in resolving the issue.

As Bangladesh and Myanmar have overlapping claims on territorial waters in the Bay, Yangon has recently warned US company ConocoPhillips not to take over offshore Block 11, claiming it was located within Myanmar�s maritime boundary.

The US company is recently awarded the production sharing contracts for hydrocarbon exploration in deep sea Block 10 and 11.

ConocoPhillips now wants to discuss with the foreign ministry the latest situation of the disputed areas in the two blocks for which the company was selected.

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