As the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state has become somewhat peaceful, there has been no loud sound of shells from the Myanmar side for the past few days near the Teknaf border in Cox's Bazar.
From Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday, no loud sounds of shells were heard from Myanmar, according to the border residents.
Nurul Islam, a mobile vendor at the Teknaf-Myanmar transit dock, said: "For several months, the sounds of gunfire from Myanmar kept us awake at night. The bomb explosions from the war in that country would shake our homes, and women and children were terrified. For the past couple of days, there has been no sound of gunfire from across the border, so we have been able to sleep peacefully at night. We hope the situation remains calm."
Abdur Rahman, a resident of Shapuree Island in Teknaf, said: "For the past two days, there has been no sound of gunfire from Myanmar. Currently, around 30,000 people on the island are at peace. We were previously anxious due to the gunfire, but now we can return to farming and sleep without fear. It had been months of sleepless nights for the island's residents."
However, after the complete occupation of Myanmar’s border town of Maungdaw, the local administration has temporarily suspended boat traffic on the Teknaf-Saint Martin route for security reasons.
Abdur Rashid, president of the Teknaf-Saint Martin Boat Owners' Association, confirmed that boat traffic had been temporarily halted due to the situation in Myanmar. Furthermore, the loud sound of shells from across the border had not been heard lately.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin explained that the Arakan Army had taken control of the Myanmar's Rakhine area near the Bangladesh border. For security reasons, fishing boats are not allowed to go near the border, leading to the temporary suspension of boat traffic. However, authorities are in discussions to find a way to allow emergency supplies and tourists to safely reach Saint Martin’s Island.
Major Syed Ishtiaq Murshed, acting commander of Teknaf 2 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), mentioned that BGB is on high alert at the border to prevent infiltration and handle any emerging situations.
Meanwhile, following the complete takeover of Myanmar’s Maungdaw by the Arakan Army, the group issued a statement mentioning that the Myanmar Border Guard Police Division’s last post in Maungdaw was also fully occupied.
The Arakan Army then imposed an indefinite ban on all types of boat traffic in the Naf River’s Arakan water zone.
Since then, no loud sounds of shells have been heard from Myanmar at the Teknaf border.
