Myanmar’s Border Guard Police at last handed over the body of slain Border Guard Bangladesh member yesterday evening, three days after the killing by the Myanmar forces in an onslaught on May 28 on the Paanchhari frontier in Bandarban.
But tension runs high along the frontiers of both countries as both Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Guard Police (BGP) intensified patrolling through the deployment of additional forces.
Naik Mizanur Rahman of the BGB was killed during a gunfight on May 28 and the Myanmar BGP took away his body along with the arms and ammunitions he had been possessing.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune immediately after the handover of the body, BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said: “BGB members received Mizanur’s body around 5:45pm at Paanchhari in Dochhari of Bandarban.”
Asked about Mizanur’s belongings including a sub-machine gun and bullets, the BGB chief said: “We had discussions on it, but the Myanmar authorities did not respond.”
The BGB chief also expressed frustration over the recent tensions with Myanmar.
He said: “We did not get any positive response from the Myanmar Border Guard Police despite repeated call for talks.
“The relations with the Myanmar border authority are not so developed. We try to contact them after every small incident, but they do not respond.”
The Foreign Ministry yesterday again summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Dhaka Myo Myint Than for the second time in three days in order to “strongly protest” the unwanted incidents on Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Bangladesh asked Myanmar to “withdraw BGP troops from the Bangladesh-Myanmar international border”.
Meanwhile, the BGB chief yesterday at a press briefing at the BGB headquarters in Pilkhana briefed reporters on the killing of the BGB man, handover his body and the latest situation on Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
At the briefing, the BGB director general said the body of BGB man was handed yesterday when a 10-member BGB team led by an officer of Major rank went to the Myanmar side in response to a call from the Myanmar Border Guard Police.
“The team then brought back the body after completing formalities. The body will be handed over to the family members,” he said, adding that but the firearms and ammunitions belonging to the slain BGB man could not be recovered.”
Description on the killing of nayek Mizanur and return of his body.
Describing the background of the firing and killing of the BGB man on May 28, the BGB chief said since the Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in large numbers through Panchhari, the BGB set up six new Border Outposts recently there.
While the BGB men were on patrol at Panchhari, the Myanmar BGP men surprisingly opened fire that prompted the BGB men to retaliate, the BGB DG said.
But Nayek Mizanur was found missing, he added.
Later, BGB troops went back to the spot for searching Mizanur and found his blood-stained mobile phone. There was also sign of blood that suggested that the BGP dragged the body to the Myanmar border.
“We sent message via sources to the BGP officials seeking Mizanur’s whereabouts, but the BGP asked for a formal letter. When we offered a flag meeting, they said they would talk with the higher authority.”
After bilateral contact with Myanmar by the Foreign Ministry, on Thursday night via messenger they asked the BGB men to go to BOP 52 for Mizanur’s body the next day, but after troops went there, they opened fire prompting us to retaliate.
The BGP then fired motor shell and the BGB retaliated accordingly. Four BGB men went missing during the firing. Of them, two were rescued at night and the rest on Saturday morning.
On Friday night, the BGP said they would return the body yesterday morning around 11:30am, but they did not do so.
After the body was handed over yesterday evening, the BGB offered a flag meeting on June 3, and also a DG level conference on May 10 in Myanmar.
Reinforcements along border heightening tension
“We have information that Myanmar has deployed Army to their BOP’s. We have sent protest letter, the BGB chief said, adding that we have also reinforced along the border areas.”
“We will observe the situation. Actions will be taken if necessary,” he vowed.