No Myanmar army on border; Arakan Army control creating problems for Bangladesh: home adviser
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said Myanmar is the recognised state, but there is no Myanmar army along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, where the Arakan Army is in control, creating problems for Bangladesh.
He made the remarks on Wednesday, Jan 14, 2026, replying to reporters after the passing-out ceremony of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)’s 104th recruit batch at the Border Guard Training Centre and College (BGTC&C), Baitul Izzat, in Satkania of Chattogram.
Jahangir said Bangladesh maintains communication with the Myanmar government and lodges protests with Naypyidaw whenever border incidents occur.
“We have not recognised the Arakan Army,” he said, adding that the group is creating problems in different ways along the border.
His comments came amid concern after Huzaifa Afnan, a third-grade schoolgirl from the Techcha Bridge area of Whykong (Hoikang) Union in Teknaf, was critically injured by a stray bullet fired from across the border during violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State on the morning of Sunday, Jan 11.
As her condition worsened, Huzaifa was moved from Chattogram Medical College Hospital to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS) in Dhaka for advanced treatment on Jan 13.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to Dhaka, U Kyaw Soe Moe, on Tuesday, Jan 13, to protest the cross-border firing and urge steps to prevent a recurrence. The envoy expressed sympathy and said Myanmar would take measures to stop such incidents from happening again.
Local residents also staged protests, including a human chain in the Teknaf-Whykong area, demanding an end to border gunfire and stronger protection for people living in frontier communities.
