New Age | Dhaka should raise Myanmar issues before world forum

The firing from Myanmar into Bangladesh in Teknaf is a cause for concern. According to officials, three bullets fired from Myanmar hit a window pane of the port office, a truck and a tree on September 18 at around 1:30 pm, forcing a suspension of activities at the Teknaf port about half an hour later as people fled in panic and sought safety. The Nirbahi upazila official said at night that activities at the port had been suspended since the firing. The official said that activities at the port may resume after a review of the situation. The firing in Bangladesh came as the Myanmar military was reportedly battling with various groups on its territory. Due to ongoing conflicts in Myanmar, gunfire has been heard regularly in the Teknaf and Ukhiya border areas for the past few months. This is not the first time. Myanmar fired three mortar shells into Bangladeshi territory on the Tambru border in Bandarban in September 2021, killing one young man and wounding six others. Myanmar fired two mortar shells 120 meters into Bangladesh earlier this month. It also fired mortar shells twice in Bangladesh in August 2021.

Myanmar authorities have reportedly been fighting and killing their own people for a long time. The United Nations, which described the Myanmar military's 2017 atrocities against its own people as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” reportedly feared further decline of Rakhine State in August 2024. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the events were a likely repeat of the atrocities committed by Myanmar security forces against the Rohingya in 2017, which forced about a million of them to cross the border to safety in Bangladesh. Myanmar's oppression of its own people and its impact on Bangladesh in the form of a large-scale Rohingya exodus to safety and the recent influx of at least 12,000 Rohingya all have implications that Bangladesh and the global community should seriously consider. The Bangladeshi authorities had previously summoned Myanmar's ambassador in Dhaka after each of the incidents and presented him with notes of protest. The authorities have so far handled the issue diplomatically, apparently on a bilateral level, with Myanmar. But there seems to be nothing but an escalation due to Myanmar's continued violation of Bangladesh's territory. After diplomatic efforts proved ineffective, the Bangladeshi authorities also previously failed to persuade India, Russia and China, all of whom have good relations with Myanmar, to do their part to dissuade Myanmar from such activities.

Military-led Myanmar, which has little credibility worldwide, appears to be violating international law by shelling and firing into Bangladesh. Peaceful means should be used to resolve the problem, but Bangladeshi authorities should turn to the United Nations if necessary. They should step up their diplomatic efforts at the regional and international levels to reach a solution.