Bangladesh has expressed concern over incidents of gunfire targeting its territory or vessels from Myanmar and warns of its readiness to take retaliatory measures, the country's Interior Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, told reporters.
According to Khan, if such incidents of shooting recur, Dhaka will be compelled to respond. "We will respond to their gunfire. If we are attacked, we will retaliate," the minister was quoted as saying by The Asian Age.
Khan explained that due to poor navigability at certain points of the Naf River, which separates the two countries, it has become difficult to travel by boat from Teknaf to St. Martin's Island. This forces Bangladeshi vessels to traverse Myanmar's waters, leading to incidents where Myanmar military or Arakan Army (AA) militants open fire.
"Sometimes, by mistake, Myanmar military or Arakan Army opened fire on our Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). We have conveyed our concerns to them. They said that if we clearly display the Bangladeshi flag on our vessels, no one will shoot at them," he noted.
"We hope that shooting incidents will not recur. Nevertheless, those crossing this area are taking necessary precautions," the minister added.
The Myanmar military ousted the civilian government on February 1, 2021, citing a constitutional clause that designates the army as the primary guarantor of the constitution. They alleged widespread fraud in favor of the National League for Democracy in the parliamentary elections of November 2020. The country has since descended into a civil conflict, which, according to human rights activists, has claimed over 6,000 lives.
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Photo: K M Asas/World Bank/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS