Sounds of gunfire back in Teknaf, Bandarban quiet
330 Myanmar citizens have entered Bangladesh in the last five days
In the midst of Myanmar's internal conflict, villagers living near the border are once more gripped by the sound of gunfire after slight respite for two days.
Despite relative calm on Tuesday and Wednesday, reports of gunfire emerged after 7pm on Thursday in border areas such as Lombabil, Unchiprang, Kanjar Para, and Nayapara, situated within the Hoikang union of Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar.
According to locals, apart from some shrimp farms, there are not many settlements around the border.
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Taher Naeem, who lives in Unchiprang, told The Business Standard, "I've been hearing gunfire from across the border since 7pm. It's ongoing, and sometimes there are heavy sounds too."
Similarly, Mahfuzur Rahman, also from Unchiprang, said, "There were no gunshots from Tuesday night until Thursday evening. They started again around 7pm today. Local people are avoiding going to places like the fish project and shrimp enclosures because of the gunfire."
However, the situation in the sleepy border of Bandarban and Palangkhali in Ukhiya was calm on Thursday. Ghumdhum Union Parishad member Anwarul Islam and Palongkhali Union Parishad Chairman M Gafur Uddin Chowdhury confirmed that the situation on their border areas were calm.
The rebel forces in Myanmar intensified their attacks since Saturday to grab the BGP outpost near the Ghumdhum border area from junta forces. The fight between the two groups grew fierce on Monday and Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of at least 180 families and closure of schools on the Bangladesh side.
As the conflict on the Myanmar side grew intense, bullets and mortar shells came flying through on the Bangladesh side, killing at least two and injuring 10 others in the Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban and Ukhiya upazila of Cox's Bazar.
Following the incidents, 180 families have left Ghumdhum union for safer places.
Evacuated families return home
Many of the families in border areas, who were evacuated, began returning to their homes on Thursday.
"Nineteen of us from the same family had gone to live at one of our relatives' houses in Ukhiya. I have returned with my mother. We are cleaning the house. The rest of our family will come back slowly," Md Yunus, a resident of Konarpara border area, told The Business Standard on Thursday.
"But we are still afraid as we are still seeing the presence of members of the Arakan Army near the border," he added.
He, along with his family, left the area on Saturday after a mortar shell from Myanmar fell on his house's roof.
Yunus' house is located a few hundred metres from the Myanmar border. The area on the other side is now under control of the rebel forces, according to reports.
In the adjacent Nowapara, Mustafizur Rahman had left the area after sounds of gunshots haunted his family throughout the night on Monday.
"We came back after the situation calmed down on Wednesday. But, we did not bring our children," he told TBS.
Ghumdhum union parishad member Anwarul Islam said some have returned on Wednesday night. The situation remained calm throughout Thursday as well.
Meanwhile, despite the improvement in the situation, residents in Ghumdhum said they are still afraid to go back to their regular lives.
"The other side of the border is now under the control of the rebel forces. They don't have any official authority. We are afraid that they can shoot at us anytime. We haven't been able to go to our croplands yet," said M Sajedullah, who has some crop fields near the border in Jalpaitali village.
"One man tried to go to his land this morning but came back after hearing a blank shot," added Sajedullah.
330 enter Bangladesh
A total of 330 Myanmar citizens have entered Bangladesh in the last five days amid the conflict in Myanmar.
The shelter seekers from Myanmar include members of its Border Guard Police (BGP), army, customs and civilians, according to officials at BGB headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Thursday sent two Rohingyas back to Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the government relocated 100 shelter seekers staying at Tumbru of Ghumdhum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban to Teknaf's Hnila union in Cox's Bazar on Thursday.
On 5 February, authorities relocated 180 Rohingyas of 16 families from Tumbru to Kutupalong transit camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya.
[Jobaer Chowdhury is reporting from the Ukhia-Ghumdhum-Teknaf border]
