The sporadic sounds of the firing of mortal shells and the explosion of grenades around Maungdaw township in Myanmar’s Rakhine state have stopped.
The residents of Teknaf and Saint Martin’s did not hear any explosion on the other side of the border between Friday morning and on Saturday fternoon.
The Myanmar warship that was anchored in the estuary of the Naf river for the last three days could not be spotted since Friday evening.
Sabrang union parishad chairman Nur Hossain said that the people of Teknaf could not sleep the whole night of Thursday due to loud explosions on the other side of the border.
However, no sound could be heard from Friday morning to 1pm on Saturday.
“We are on alert to ensure that none can intrude into Bangladesh crossing the border,” said the UP chairman.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury has also confirmed that the warship has moved away from that place too after Friday evening.
Saint Martin’s union parishad chairman Mujibur Rahman also said no gunshots have been heard since Friday morning but the residents of the island are still in a state of fear.
They are worried as to when they can travel to the mainland on Teknaf-Saint Martin’s route with the alternative route they are using to travel to and from Teknaf being at risk.
Residents of the border area said that the warship of the Myanmar Navy, which had been anchored in Badar Mokam area of Shapuree Island on the Teknaf-Saint Martin’s waterways for two days, had moved away from there. The warship was later anchored in the Naikkyangdia area inside Myanmar's territory.
Meanwhile, the UNO said no firing was heard from Friday morning to 1pm on Saturday.
The shootings inside Myanmar are an internal matter of that country. However, service trawlers and speedboats inside Bangladesh were targeted by shooting from Myanmar as the large vessel took up position in the Myanmar part of the Naf River. As a result, plying of trawlers and speedboats through this route has been stopped for the time being. But service trawlers will use the alternative sea route to Saint Martin’s, said UNO Adnan.
Saiful Islam, a resident of Shapuree Island, said that the situation is calmer than before. However, if a major conflict breaks out there, Bangladesh might see another Rohingya influx.
Fear gripped the border residents after sounds of explosions and gunshots were heard from the Myanmar side on Wednesday.
After the explosions, residents of the border area also spotted a large ship that had been visible near Myanmar, opposite Moulvipara in Teknaf Sadar Union.
Meanwhile, a vessel named “FB-Baro Awlia” arrived at Saint Martin’s Island on Friday, carrying 75 tons of food provided by the local administration and 150 tons of food from traders.
The vessel departed from Nuniarchhara ghat in Cox’s Bazar around 1pm on Friday, confirmed ship’s director Hossain Mohammad Bahadur.
Additional District Magistrate Yeamin Hossian said that the food was sent under VGED and VGF programs, along with five cattle for Eid-ul-Azha, 300 packets of dry foods, medical equipment, and three midwives.
The vessel reached the island around 6:30pm on Friday, said Saint Martin’s Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman.
Over 10,000 island residents had been facing severe food shortages following the suspension of vessel operations on the Teknaf-Saint Martin’s Island route, disrupted since February due to escalating violence in Myanmar.
Frequent gunfire along the Teknaf border has further disrupted the movement of goods and people, causing panic among residents.