Bangladesh-Myanmar border conference begins on June 10

A four-day director general level conference between Border Guard Bangladesh and Border Guard Police is scheduled to begin at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar on June 10.

BGB Director General Major General Aziz Ahmed would lead an eight-member delegation at the conference.

Officials concerned said a meeting with the Chief of Myanmar Border Guard Police and other officials would be held on June 10 while a joint record of discussion is likely to be signed on June 12.

“We hope for positive outcome of the conference. We want to hold such meetings on regular basis,” Aziz Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune at his office yesterday.

“Our aim is to improve relationship with Myanmar and maintain peace and harmony on the border. We want to resolve any problem through discussion,” he said.

The officials said the delegation would raise the issue of killing of a BGB member by Border Guard Police at Naikhangchhari in Bandarban on May 28 and demand for proper investigation into the incident and punishment for those responsible for the killing.

They said the delegation would remind its counterpart that such incidents would not happen in future.

BGP at a flag meeting on Wednesday expressed sorrow at the killing of BGB member, saying that BGP opened fire on BGB patrol team, taking it for granted that it was a team of Rohingya Solidarity Organisation. A BGB high official said the uniform of RSO is similar to BGB.

BGB officials said still there are Myanmar army at several points which is a violation of the international border agreement-1980 signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

According to the agreement, army cannot be deployed within five kilometres from the zero line. If army is deployed for any purpose, the counterpart must be informed of it.

“Without any prior information, Myanmar has deployed army several times, violating the agreement, but we are fully respectful to the border agreement,” the BGB DG said.

“During the upcoming conference, I would request Myanmar not to deploy army in future,” he said. “We have a serious problem in communicating with the officials of Myanmar due to language barrier. We want to overcome it and communicate directly over mobile or telephone with commanders and staff at different levels,” he added.

“We would also raise the drug trafficking issue as our young generation is being ruined,” the DG said, adding that if regular meetings are held, problems could be resolved gradually.

“During the visit, I would call on the Myanmar home minister and the home secretary and discuss bilateral issues.”

Aziz Ahmed, however, claimed that the situation on the border would not deteriorate. People along the border need not to be worried, he said.

Asked about Myanmar’s claims that RSO operates from Bangladesh, the BGB DG outright rejected the claims. “It is clear that we would not allow such organisation and the separatists cannot use the land of Bangladesh.”

If any member of RSO is traced, they would be handed over to Myanmar, he said. The Bangladesh delegation is scheduled to return home on June 14.