Bangladesh sealed its border with Myanmar to prevent the perpetrators of the killing of nine Myanmar border guard police personnel in Rakhine state from fleeing to Bangladesh, the Foreign Ministry announced yesterday, stressing that Dhaka took this move on its own.
Law enforcers also captured two Myanmar nationals and handed them over to the Myanmar authorities, it said. On October 10, nine border guard police officers were killed during coordinated ambushes in Rakhine state bordering Bangladesh that sparked clashes. According to Myanmar authorities, the attackers are Muslim Rohingya community, a persecuted minority in the country. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes note of coordinated attacks on the Border Guard Police posts in Rakhine State on 10 October 2016 and clashes that followed,” said a Foreign Ministry press release.  “Bangladesh finds these developments in Rakhine State, bordering Bangladesh, disturbing and Bangladesh unequivocally condemns the attacks on Myanmar forces.  We are concerned at the loss of innocent lives in these clashes,” it said, underscoring the need for arresting perpetrators and to bring them to justice. “Bangladesh, as a responsible neighbour, on its own had sealed the borders with Myanmar in the early hours of 10th October to deny perpetrators easy escape. Bangladesh apprehended two Muslims of Rakhine State and handed them over to the authorities of Myanmar within a day,” said the release.  
“Bangladesh authorities are in constant touch with their Myanmar counterparts and providing help as requested,” it added. The release further said, “Bangladesh follows a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards violent extremism and terrorism of any form and manifestation. Bangladesh conducted a number of operations against Arakan Army and other ethnic armed groups originating from Myanmar in the recent times to help Myanmar.  Bangladesh returned two Tatmadaw members rescued from Arakan Army captivity last year.” “Bangladesh will continue to assist Myanmar in this time of need,” it said. “Bangladesh believes that cooperation in these areas could be best realised under legal framework which Bangladesh has been stressing over two years. Such institutionalised cooperation is needed to comprehensively address all aspects of insecurity, from drug to human trafficking to gun running to civil commotion and internal disturbances to insurgency,” it added.