Bangladeshi forces have reported unusual buildup of Myanmar Army troops along the international border between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the last few days.
Scores of Myanmar Army troops were observed disembarking from fishing trawlers in three locations.
This Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to Bangladesh to lodge a strong protest over the unprovoked buildup.
Bangladesh told the Myanmar representative to desist from such suspicious activities along the border and work for a mutually beneficial bilateral relationship in earnest.
Bangladeshi authorities remain highly suspicious of the Myanmar Army because in 2017 the same pattern of buildup resulted in nearly a million Burmese Muslim nationals fleeing their homes to the safety of Bangladesh.
The ongoing violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the region. Security experts are worried Myanmar’s actions have opened the doors for non-state actors to operate between the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to take advantage of the chaos.
Already members of the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist-Rakhine majority rebel outfit has clashed with the Myanmar Army. It has also engaged in a minor clash with Bangladesh’s border guards that led to a massive combing operation against them. There is very little evidence though that the Rohingya’s have any ability or will to fight for their country.
No credible Rohingya rebel groups were formed in the past 3 years, whereas on the other hand Rohingya criminal gangs are involved in petty crimes inside camps in Bangladesh.
