Across the Ghumdhum border in Bandarban’s Naikkongchari, Myanmar’s Rakhine state has been under heavy shelling for days. Here Bangladesh border side also tremors with the sound of gunshots. More than 4,000 Rohingyas and several thousand Bangladeshis of the Ghumdhum Union in the in fear. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is keeping a close eye on the incidents of firing across the border.
Ghumdhum Union Parishad (UP) Chairman AKM Jahangir Aziz told a reporter that from seven o’clock in the morning on Monday, the sound of mortar shells and heavy weapons was being heard in the area. One and a half to two kilometers away from the Myanmar border, shells and bullets are falling. The shelling has been going on intermittently till late night. No one is allowed to approach the zero line. There are 4,200 Rohingyas in 621 families in the ground zero shelter camp. They are quite frightened by the sound of gunshots.
After August 25, 2017, 800,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in the face of persecution by the Rakhine state’s army. A few lakhs more came before this. Currently, the number of Rohingyas registered in 33 shelter camps in Ukhia and Teknaf is 1.25 million.
At that time, more than 6,000 Rohingyas started settling in the zero line south of Konarpara Canal in Ghumdhum Union of Naikkongchari. A few yards away from the refugee camp, Myanmar surrounded the border with barbed wire. Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) has set up multiple checkpoints on hilltops outside the barbed wire to monitor the Rohingyas who have taken shelter at the Zero Line.
Cox’s Bazar 34 BGB Battalion monitors this border area. BGB Headquarters Director (Operations) Lt. Col. Faizur Rahman told media in the afternoon that he will inform the details of the incident. After trying in various ways, his speech could not be found.
Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Samchu-Ddouza told media that BGB is looking after the zero line shelter. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is providing food aid to more than 4,000 Rohingya there. Public-private service activities are not conducted in zero line shelter camps.
In the beginning, there were approximately six thousand Rohingyas from one thousand families in this zero-line camp. Their homes are in 12 villages in Rakhine State, one and a half to five kilometers behind the shelter camp. Currently, there are approximately four thousand Rohingyas in 621 families in the camp. Dil Mohammad (55), Chairman of the Management Committee of Konarpara refugee Camp of Zero line, told media over phone, “I can’t sleep due to the sound of gunshots.” It seems that the camp itself is being fired upon. The firing started around 6-7 in the morning, and the firing continued until late at night.
While speaking two gunshots were heard. Dil Mohammad said.
Mohammed also added that Myanmar held an army rally on Tumbru border on March 2, 2018 to remove the Rohingyas from the zero line. Gunshots were heard every day. The Rohingyas of the zero line were asked to leave the place quickly by miking. Otherwise, Myanmar threatened that the situation would be dire.
Due to the action of BGB, the army assembly was removed, but the Rohingyas are being kept under strict surveillance by setting up multiple checkpoints, Mohammed further said.
Dil Mohammad said, “For two months we came to this zero-line shelter camp. Now five years have passed and there are no signs of going back to their homeland.”
