The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has recovered 10 landmine pressure plates (trigger components) from a border area of Hnila Union in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar, adjacent to the Myanmar border, as fresh panic has spread across the region.
Although no explosives were found in the recovered parts during the initial examination, the BGB said the matter is being treated with utmost seriousness.
The pressure plates were recovered on Tuesday morning from the Ulubania border area of Hnila Union.
According to local sources and the BGB, a total of 10 pressure plates were collected from morning until noon. Locals suspect that landmines may have been planted in several other areas along the border as well.
Residents alleged that landmines planted by the Arakan Army and gunfire from across the border have been causing casualties among people living in the border region, forcing them to live in constant fear.
Lieutenant Colonel Zahidul Islam, commanding officer of the 64 BGB Battalion, said several components resembling landmine pressure plates were found in the border area. “At this stage, no explosives have been detected in the recovered parts. However, expert examination is underway to confirm the matter,” he said.
Sources concerned said the recovered items were mainly the front portion or pressure plates of landmines, which are usually placed above ground and activate the mine when pressure is applied.
A typical landmine contains a casing, explosive material, booster charge, firing mechanism and detonator. However, only pressure plates and some external components were found in the recovered items.
In recent times, fishermen, farmers and innocent civilians including children have been injured or killed in Teknaf due to landmines, improvised explosive devices and stray bullets crossing over from Myanmar.
On January 12, a young man named Hanif was seriously injured in a landmine explosion while fishing in the Naf River near the Hnila border. A day earlier, a child named Hufaiza Afnan was shot after being hit by gunfire from Myanmar in the same area.
Local resident Abdul Karim said people are afraid to go to the fields or approach the border. “We live in constant fear, not knowing when we might step on a landmine. We are even afraid to let our children go outside,” he said.
Habib Ullah, a fisherman from the Naf River, said the river and the border are their only sources of livelihood. “But now we are afraid every time we take our boats out. There is gunfire from across the border and the constant fear of landmines. How can people survive like this?” he asked.
Local representatives said residents of the border area are effectively living under the constant fear of death. Families are also anxious about sending their children to school. They warned that panic would deepen further in Teknaf unless immediate and effective security measures are taken.
The BGB said border surveillance has been further strengthened and regular searches are being conducted in suspicious areas. However, the situation has not fully stabilized due to the impact of ongoing conflict across the border.
It was learned that intense fighting has been continuing for several days in areas of Myanmar’s Rakhine State adjacent to the Bangladesh border between the Arakan Army, Rohingya armed groups and government forces. As a result, sounds of gunfire and explosions are being heard on the Bangladesh side of the border.
