Fear grips Teknaf border residents as explosions continue in Myanmar

The people of Teknaf along the Myanmar border find themselves engulfed in fear again as the sounds of explosions in Myanmar continued today (2 March).

"It's clear that the situation on the other side is escalating, and it is directly affecting us here," said Tarek Mahmud Roni, president of Hnila Ideal Government Primary School.

"After Friday evening, the sound of gunfire somewhat decreased. However, after midnight, a series of loud explosions, coupled with gunfire, began escalating. The intensity heightened after dawn today."

"From around 7:30am to 8:00am, within half an hour, we heard 40 to 50 loud explosions. Right after, fires were visibly blazing as we saw heavy smoke in the sky. The village there was set on fire. This fire was visible until midday, after which the smoke started to dissipate," he explained.

The areas across the Hnila border in Myanmar are known as Boli Bazar and Nagakura Para.

The current situations have revived the harrowing memories of the 2017 Rohingya crisis for many living near the border, Tarek added.

According to locals along the border, the loud explosions from gunfire and mortar shells are causing tremors in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf areas like Whykong, Hnila, the municipal town, and Sabrang.

"The sound of mortar explosions across the Naf River is back again. It is causing distress among our people, many of whom are too scared to even leave their homes for farming on their land," said Rashed Mahmud Ali, chairman of the Hnila Union.

Chairman of Whykong Union Shah Jalal, said "The mortar shell explosions are so loud that they're causing vibrations here. Children are waking up crying at night, terrified by the sounds."

Teknaf's Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Md Adnan Chowdhury reassured that while the conflict in Myanmar is indeed close, there have been no reports of the violence spilling over into Bangladeshi territory. 

"We are closely monitoring the situation, and our security forces, including the BGB and Coast Guard, are on high alert," he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Teknaf, has also said BGB members are actively monitoring the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state and are on alert to prevent any infiltration.

Earlier on 15 February, Bangladesh repatriated 330 Myanmar nationals, including members of its army, Border Guard Police (BGP), and civilians who entered Bangladesh amid internal conflict at their border. 

Since 3 February, clashes between rebel groups and Myanmar's military junta forces have intensified near a Border Guard Police (BGP) camp close to the Bangladesh border.