Bangladesh has vowed to take all necessary measures to secure its 271-km border with Myanmar, as the Rakhine’s rebel group Arakan Army has taken control of the frontier from Myanmar’s junta after weeks of intense fighting.
“Bangladesh will do whatever is necessary for its border security,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said during a weekly briefing at the ministry this afternoon.
The remarks came in response to a question on whether Dhaka would consider engaging with non-state actors, such as the Arakan Army, to manage border issues along the Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier.
Since November last year, the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic rebel group, has gained control of 13 out of 17 townships in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
The latest, on Friday the AA announced on its Telegram channel that it had "completely captured" the western regional command at Ann after weeks of fighting.
Earlier this month, Maungdaw, a key township near the Rohingya settlements was come under the AA control.
With this development, the AA now controls the entire 271-kilometer-long border with Bangladesh, effectively becoming the de facto authority in Rakhine State.
When asked about the possibility of reinforcing military presence along the border, Alam stated, “We have to wait a couple of days for this decision.”
He noted that a high-level meeting on the issue was held earlier in the day but declined to provide further details.
On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said he had communicated to his Myanmar counterpart that Dhaka cannot engage with non-state actors like the Arakan Army to address border control issues.
"I informed Myanmar (in Bangkok) that the border is no longer under your control. It is now controlled by non-state actors like the Arakan Army. As a state, we cannot engage with them. Myanmar must find a way to resolve the issues related to the border and Rakhine," Hossain told reporters in Dhaka after returning from informal consultations held in Thailand.
Regarding concerns over a potential new influx of Rohingya refugees, spokesperson Alam reaffirmed Bangladesh’s position against allowing any more displaced people into the country.
Responding to a query, Alam said they had no clear estimate of how many of the remaining 400,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar might be awaiting entry into Bangladesh.
Earlier, Foreign Adviser Hossain dismissed fears of a new influx but acknowledged the concerns.
"I do not believe another influx will occur, although many are concerned. We too share these concerns, but we must take measures to prevent it, working with the international community," he told reporters.
Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar.
In the last seven years, not a single Rohingya went back home.
