In a recent development, thirteen members of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) have sought refuge in Bangladesh as clashes within Myanmar escalate. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has disarmed these individuals and taken them into custody after they crossed into Bangladesh on Wednesday, August 14, through Sabarang and Nazirpara.

Lt. Col. Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, Commander of BGB Teknaf-2 Battalion, confirmed that border patrols have been intensified and that the forces are on the highest alert.

Efforts are currently underway to repatriate the 110 individuals arrested earlier, along with the newly-detained BGP personnel.

This marks a continuation of a troubling trend; between February and June, 752 BGP members also fled to Bangladesh, later being repatriated to Myanmar in three phases.

Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy ended abruptly when the military seized power on February 1, 2021. However, resistance forces have been gaining ground across the country, putting the junta on the defensive.

The intensifying conflict has led to hundreds of Myanmar border troops fleeing to Bangladesh for safety, further complicating the already delayed Rohingya repatriation process. Bangladesh is currently sheltering over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.

BOB Post