JS body fears Arakan Army may destabilize CHT, using local ethnic ties
NEWS DESK
As the ongoing tense situation in Maynamr, bordering Bangladesh’s Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar, is likely to worse next month, the Arakan Army could try to destabilise the Chittagong Hill Tracts area by taking advantage of its affinity with local ethnic communities, the Jatiya Sangsad standing committee on home ministry observed.
Such apprehension was expressed in a report placed in the meeting of the committee held in the parliament building on Sunday.
The report presented on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border situation said that by May 2024, the conflict situation in the region bordering Teknaf was likely to deteriorate further, several JS officials confirmed.
‘This could lead to increased attempts by the Rohingya people and members of Myanmar Border Police to enter Bangladesh,’ the report stated.
The report highlighted the risks faced by Bangladesh due to the worsening situation along the Myanmar border.
The risks include influx of Myanmar nationals, including Rohingya, security threat along the unprotected land and marine borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar, smuggling of Rohingya rations, drug trading, subversive activities by terrorist groups, and the smuggling of firearms.
The report said that the Arakan Army could try to destabilise the Chittagong Hill Tracts area by taking advantage of its affinity with local ethnic communities.
According to meeting insiders, in the previous meeting of the committee, the senior secretary of the public security department of the home ministry mentioned that effective action was not taken against the culprits after the Bayley Road fire.
Referring to the Bayley Road fire incident, he said that often a crackdown starts after an incident before everything becomes business as usual within a short time.
According to the press release of the Parliament Secretariat, the committee has recommended action against juvenile gangs in addition to urging everyone to come forward to eliminate drugs.
In the meeting, the committee recommended that all forces under the home ministry should be more aware and vigilant in maintaining law and order.
Committee members and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Shamsul Alam Dudu, Samil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, Moyj Uddin Sharif, Sanowar Hossain, Chayan Islam, Md Saddam Hossain, and Hasina Bari Chowdhury attended the meeting presided over by committee chairman Benjir Ahmed.
