Following a ban on tourist movement in Ruma and Rowangchhari upazilas on October 17, the Bandarban district administration yesterday imposed a similar ban for Alikadam and Thanchi upazilas due to a joint operation of security forces in the border areas.
Previously, the authorities had barred tourists from traveling to Alikadam and Thanchi.
The latest ban was announced though a public notice signed by Deputy Commissioner (Routine Duties) Lutfur Rahman on Sunday evening.
According to the notice, army personnel members will continue patrolling in the areas to collect specific information about the presence of terrorists,
The ban would remain in place till October 30, said the notice.
However, the district administration is yet to confirm the exact date of withdrawal of restrictions on travel in the area.
On October 21, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 10 suspected militants and separatists along with a large cache of firearms and ammunition after conducting an operation in the remote areas of Bandarban and Rangamati.
The arrestees include seven members of the newly formed militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and three of the separatist organization Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
A tense situation prevails in the area due to the presence of additional members of law enforcers and the ban on travelers, local people said.
No guests were admitted to hundreds of hotels and motels in the four upazilas.
Meanwhile, local authorities moved 30 families in Dochari and Gumdhum unions of Bandarban's Naikhongchhari upazila to safer location in the face of continuous gunfire and mortar shelling inside Myanmar close to the Bangladesh border.
The sound and fury on the Myanmar side of the international border, where the Myanmar army is engaged in fighting a well-resourced insurgency forged by the Arakan Army, started again on Saturday, after a week's lull.
Firing resumed on the Myanmar side of Bangladesh's border – from Dochhari to Ghumdhum union – at 12pm and continued till 6:30pm on Saturday, gripping the locals with fear.
Gunshots and explosions have often been heard in the border areas for a few months as the country's military has clashed with separatist groups.
