NATIONAL
Misunderstanding behind BGB-BGP clashes: Kamal
The skirmishes between Bangladesh and Myanmar border guards stemmed from misunderstanding, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said. A Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) trooper went missing after a gunbattle on Wednesday night near a Rohingya camp along the Myanmar border.
BGBs Nayek Mizanur Rahmans body was handed over by Myanmars Border Guard Police (BGP) on Saturday after a second skirmish on Friday afternoon.
Slight misunderstanding with Myanmar led to these exchanges of fire, Kamal told reporters on Sunday in Dhaka.
The issues have now been resolved, he said.
Kamal said the BGB troopers death had been strongly protested in flag meetings and the issue would be raised in the next meeting.
Bangladesh and Myanmar are expected to meeting of their border guard commanders on June 3.
The state minister hoped Naypyidaw would withdraw its troops from the border as the tension had eased.
However, Bangladeshs BGB and coastguards are on alert, he said.
The situation is calm now and the residents of the area have nothing to be worried about, he assured.
The government summoned Myanmars Dhaka envoy twice in two days, to lodge a strong protest over the unprovoked firing by its border force.
The firing happened even as a Bangladesh border guard was in illegal detention of the Burmese border police.
The foreign ministry said a note verbale protesting against the firing was handed over to the Myanmarese envoy by the Secretary (bilateral) Mustafa Kamal on Saturday morning.
Earlier on Thursday the Burmese envoy Myo Myint Than was summoned to protest the detention of the Bangladesh border guard.
Bangladesh asked the ambassador to convey to his government the need to stop unprovoked firing by Myanmar border forces.
He was also asked for immediate action for identification of the dead body that could be the one of Naik Md Mizanur Rahman who is missing.
Naik Rahman has been missing since Wednesday morning following indiscriminate firing by the Myanmar Border Guard Police, the foreign ministry said.
Bangladesh also demanded a thorough investigation into the unprovoked recurrence of firing on Friday.
The Myanmar Ambassador once again assured that the matter would be duly conveyed to the concerned authorities in Myanmar immediately.
In this context the Myanmar Ambassador was told that a Bangladesh border guard team was waiting near border pillar no. 52 for identification of the dead body which was proposed by the Myanmar side.
But to the complete surprise of the BGB, Myanmar border forces suddenly started firing on the waiting BGB team without any provocation.
The foreign ministry said it continued to closely monitor the situation.
Bangladesh also reminded the ambassador that the deployment of Myanmar military forces alongside the Bangladesh-Myanmar international border was a violation of the Boundary Agreement of 1980.
Bangladesh side urged upon Myanmar for immediate and complete withdrawal of the Myanmar military, if deployed.
