Terror gripped displaced Rohingya Muslims living in the zero point camps as military forces consisting of Light Infantry soldiers conducted a patrol along the barbed wire fences separating the refugees from the Myanmar border on Sunday at around 7.30 pm. Sources have confirmed that Light Infantry troops have camped at the Taung Pyu Let Yar school.
Government forces have categorically stated the zero point camps are in violation of the country’s sovereignty and wants Bangladesh to shift Rohingyas away from the zone.
The ethnic cleansing of 2017 that resulted in the arbitrary killings of tens of thousands of men, women and children were led by Light Infantry troops who did not distinguish between any Muslims and hit civilian areas with rocket launchers and mortars. The soldiers, also described as shock troops did not even spare collaborators who had traditionally worked for regular military units stationed in Rohingya zones. As a result, there is speculation that the shock troops have been brought in to conduct a killing operation against unarmed Rohingyas taking refuge in the no-man’s land.
Incidentally, military units don’t patrol international borders in peacetime. Previous instances of military presence in the border was strongly protested by the Bangladesh government.
Zero point tensions involve Bangladesh
The intensification of military units comes only a week after a high level delegation led by the Bangladesh Foreign Minister made a visit to the Maungdaw region, where he was urged to stop all aid to the zero point refugee camps. Bangladesh has however maintained that aid to the zero point refugee camps is conducted by INGOs who don’t represent the government of Bangladesh.
Tensions erupted in the border region in February this year after Myanmar claimed jurisdiction over the no-man’s land and ordered Rohingyas to move away. Soldiers even placed ladders on the barbed wire at which point Rohingyas and local Bengalis threw brickbats to drive them back. Before retreating, security forces fired shots into Bangladesh territory.
In June a Rohingya boy was injured when security forces opened fire at the camps.
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