Activities halted at Teknaf Land Port after bullets from Myanmar hit office

Activities at Teknaf Land Port in Cox's Bazar have come to a halt as bullets from conflict-torn Myanmar have struck the port, causing widespread panic among locals

 Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Adnan Chowdhury confirmed the report of disruption, saying that operations were halted following the gunfire.

 "Around 1:30pm on Wednesday (18 September), three bullets from the Myanmar border hit Teknaf Land Port. The first bullet shattered the office window, the second struck a truck carrying goods, and the third hit a coconut tree," said Jasim Uddin, the port manager. 

 Syed Mohammad Anwar Hossain, manager of United Land Port Ltd in Teknaf, said he heard gunshots while at the office at noon. "A bullet hit the office window, causing it to break. Another bullet shattered the windshield of a goods truck," he said.

 This was not an isolated incident, as similar clashes had occurred on Wednesday and Thursday of the previous week, he added.

According to locals, bullets from Myanmar's Lal Dia Island have been landing in the bordering areas of Bangladesh as a result of the ongoing clashes between two groups. The Arakan Army, a Myanmar-based rebel group, is reportedly trying to take control of the Lal Dia area from the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), a militant faction currently holding the territory.

Gunfire between the two groups was going on till the filing of this report last night.

Mohammad Ali, a union parishad member from Hnila Union, said the sound of gunfire shook the Damdamiya and port areas from noon. "One of the stray bullets hit the home of a local resident named Ayub, damaging the windows and furniture there. Additionally, several bullets struck the port office, breaking windows and damaging property."

Authorities, including Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard, have been alerted to the situation.

Attempts to contact Lieutenant Colonel Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, commanding officer of BGB's Teknaf 2-Battalion, were fruitless as he did not respond to multiple calls.