United News of Bangladesh

Bandarban district administration has taken necessary measures to prevent any rain-related incidents, including landslide, as the district has been experiencing downpour intermittently since Thursday night under the influence of the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal.    Meanwhile, 220 shelter centres have been opened to accommodate people, said District Disaster and Relief Officer Asif Raihan.   Heavy rainfall, landslides, waterlogging likely parts of country in 48 hrs: BMD Of them, there are 46 in Bandarban Sadar, 28 in Ruma, 19 in Rowangchhari, 15 in Thanchi, 55 in Lama, 15 in Alikadam and 42 in Naikhongchhari. The district administration has opened a control room to help people with the mobile number 01309744923. Those living in hilly pockets have been advised to take shelter at the centers as the administration made publicity through miking in the morning.   Prolonged rainfall causes severe waterlogging in Kurigram A police team led by an additional superintendent of police has been formed to extend support to the people. District police also formed a control room and the mobile phone number 0 1320-110898 to contact them. Meanwhile, vehicular movement on Lama-Alikadam road remained suspended for a while in the morning as a tree fell on it.  

Police have detained eight people in connection with the looting of Tk 1.72 crore from a depot office of Abul Khair Tobacco Company in Bandarban. Moreover, Tk 52.57 lakh of the looted amount has been recovered from the detainees. Superintendent of Bandarban police Mohammad Shahidullah Kawsar disclosed this at a press briefing at his office on Friday morning.  Woman killed, 23 hurt as jeep falls into hill stream in Bandarban On May 9, a group of 15 to 20 muggers looted the amount from the officials of the depot at the gunpoint in Lama upazila, he said. Later, the authorities filed a case in this connection, the police official said, adding that they initially detained two suspects. Based on their information, the police detained six more accused, he said. Taking the detainees, police conducted drives in four locations of the Lama and nearby Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar and recovered Tk 52.57 lakh, said the SP. During the preliminary interrogation, the detainees admitted that they were members of an inter-district robbery gang and their mastermind Abdul Karim had been freed from jail on bail around seven days before the mugging. During the drive, various weapons, including three local guns and six rounds of bullets, were seized, he said.  Bangladeshi man’s leg severed in landmine blast near border in Bandarban Legal action will be taken against the detainees accordingly, he added.  

A woman was killed and 23 others were injured after a jeep fell into a hill stream in a remote area of Alikadam upazila in Bandarban district on Friday. The deceased was identified as Tanoya Murong, 25, daughter of Kralai Murong, resident of the 26-kilometre area on Thanchi road. The accident occurred around 11:30am in the Jobiram Para area along the Kalarjhiri–Marma Para road, said Mirza Zahid Uddin, officer-in-charge of Alikadam Police Station. A group of people from Thanchi upazila was travelling to attend an event in Kalarjhiri Marma Para when the driver lost control of the vehicle.  3 killed, two injured as freight tractor overturns in Rangamati The jeep veered off the road and fell into a nearby hill stream, leaving Tanoya dead on the spot. All the victims are residents of Thanchi upazila. Upon receiving the information, members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, with the help of locals, rescued the injured and took them to Alikadam Upazila Health Complex. Of the injured, 11 were later shifted to Cox’s Bazar Medical College Hospital as their condition deteriorated.

A group of armed assailants abducted 26 workers from rubber plantations in the remote Murungjhiri area of Fasiakhali in Lama upazila, Bandarban, on Sunday. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lama Police Station Md Shahadat Hossain said the incident took place around 10:30am when armed miscreants raided several rubber plantations in Ward No 1 of Fasiakhali union. 7 workers ‘abducted’ in Bandarban The assailants took 26 workers hostage at gunpoint before fleeing the scene. According to the plantation owners, the names of 20 abducted workers have been identified. They are: Md Faruk (26), Ayub Ali (26), Md Siddiq (40), Abdul Khalek (20), Abdul Majed (17), Monirul Islam (30), Ziaur Rahman (45), Md Mobarak (25), Md Harun (30), Romiz Uddin (32), Syed Nur (28), Md Kaysar (38), Monir Hossain (35), Md Imran (17), Md Manjurul (30), Abshar Ali (25), Khairul Amin (30), Abu Bakkar (28), Abdur Razzak (33), and Md Mobin (25). 15 families return to homes in Bandarban after 23 months: ISPR The identities of the remaining six workers are yet to be confirmed. Md Shahjahan, a plantation owner in Murungjhiri, said that 26 workers were kidnapped from six plantations, with 12 being taken from his plantation alone. He further revealed that the abductors called him in the afternoon using a phone belonging to one of the kidnapped workers. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of Tk 50,000 per worker, amounting to a total of Tk 600,000 for his 12 workers. OC Shahadat Hossain said that law enforcers, including police and the army, have launched a rescue operation. He suspects the involvement of hill-based armed groups, who were also responsible for the abduction of tobacco field workers in Sarai Union’s Bamukhali area a few days ago.

Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have detained 58 Rohingyas, including women, children, and elderly individuals, during an illegal entry attempt through the Buchitong border in Alikadam Upazila’s Nayapara Union, Bandarban. The operation was conducted by the Alikadam Battalion in the early hours of Saturday. According to police and local sources, the detentions were made following a tip-off about Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar with assistance from several Bangladeshi nationals. Acting on the information, BGB personnel launched a raid in the border area and held the group at around 4am. They were intercepted while being transported on a truck, a private car, and several motorcycles. Besides, five people accused of facilitating the illegal crossing were also detained during the operation. Saving lives must be first priority, says UNHCR as more Rohingya flee by sea Legal proceedings against them are underway, and cases are being prepared at Alikadam Police Station. The Rohingyas, meanwhile, are expected to be pushed back to Myanmar as part of the authorities' ongoing efforts to prevent illegal crossings. Alikadam Police Station’s officer-in-charge, Mirza Zahid Uddin, confirmed receiving information about the detainees but said that no case had yet been filed. “Appropriate measures will be taken once the case is lodged,” he added. The attempted crossings come amidst a protracted conflict in Myanmar, where disputes between the government and rebel groups have intensified, forcing many Rohingyas to flee the region in search of safety. Bangladeshi authorities have been vigilant in monitoring the border and check the influx of refugees and maintain security.

The interim government has strongly condemned the arson attack on the homes of the Tripura community in Lama upazila of Bandarban district. Bandarban police said they have sent their officers to the spot. Police have also carried out raids to arrest the culprits, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said in a statement on Thursday morning. An FIR has been filed over the incident, he said. Chief Adviser greets Christian community on Christmas Eve The Deputy Commissioner of the district and its police chief will visit the village on Thursday morning. They have been instructed to extend all-out assistance for the reconstruction of the torched houses. Police have also stepped up security measures in the area, Azad said.

Three militants of the armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) have been killed in a gunfight with the Bangladesh Army on Sunday in the dense forests of Ruma upazila in Bandarban district. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army initiated the operation based on a tip-off about the location of a clandestine hideout used by the KNF. The firefight broke out when Army personnel raided the hideout deep in the jungle. The identities of the three deceased militants have not been confirmed yet. During the operation, a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site, the ISPR release mentioned. Read: Huge arms, ammunition recovered KNF den in Bandarban: ISPR The military operation is still ongoing as the Army continues its efforts to neutralise the insurgent group in the region. The KNF, a separatist organisation operating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, has been involved in various violent activities, including attacks on security forces and civilians, as part of their quest for an autonomous state for the Kuki-Chin ethnic group.

Usually vibrant with tourists during public holidays, the popular tourist destinations in the three hill districts now wear a desolate look after a recent directive by the authorities discouraging people from visiting the region. Tourism businesses in Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari are set to suffer huge losses as all bookings have been cancelled due to the restriction. District administrations asked people not to visit the hill districts from October 8 to31 citing “unavoidable reasons”, including safety concerns and the impact of recent natural disasters. Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan said the decision was made to ensure the safety of tourists, with hopes that the situation will normalise by the end of the month. “We have urged tourists not to visit Rangamati during this period. Later, travel can resume as usual,” he said. The travel restriction came at a particularly difficult time for the tourism sector. Hotel and resort operators had received advanced bookings for the Durga Puja holiday, the biggest religious festival of Hindus. Read: Government announces programs to mark World Tourism Day tomorrow However, he is optimistic that easing the restrictions could help the tourism sector recover from this crisis. “We are facing a major crisis,” said Ramzan Ali, a leaseholder at the boat dock operated by the Rangamati Parjatan Corporation. “The scenic Hanging Bridge was submerged due to recent rains and floods, and now we have this travel ban. We don't know how we will survive.” Md. Sultan, manager of Hotel Square Park, echoed similar concerns saying, “All the bookings have been canceled, and our hotels are empty. Normally, we are fully booked at this time of year,” he said. Local tourism associations have expressed deep concern over the economic impact of the travel ban. Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Residential Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration calling for the government to lift the ban immediately. “We are facing severe uncertainty regarding our livelihoods. The ban sends a highly negative message to tourists and threatens to push the developing tourism sector in these regions to the brink of collapse,” they said in the memorandum. Read more: Sunamganj tourism suffers Tk 50 crore loss amid floods and ongoing situation Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration calling for the government to lift the ban immediately. “We are facing severe uncertainty regarding our livelihoods. The ban sends a highly negative message to tourists and threatens to push the developing tourism sector in these regions to the brink of collapse,” they said in the memorandum. Adviser to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Supradip Chakma recently said the ban would be lifted soon. “We are in talks with the Home Affairs adviser, and a decision will be announced shortly,” he said.

Shafiul Alam, a resident of Ghumdhum’s Jalpaitoli, a once quiet village in the border district of Bandarban, is now counting his days wracked by a complex cocktail of human emotions. His life took an unexpected turn on February 5, as his mother lost her life when a stray mortar shell fired from Myanmar landed in their under-construction house, which also left his two children with shrapnel wounds on their feet, and took the life of a Rohingya construction worker. He is not even in a situation to grieve properly as he has to think about how to treat his children with little to no help. The children only survived as they were inside their home at the time, while their grandmother was serving lunch to the construction worker.   2 SSC exam centres along BD-Myanmar border relocated Bandarban's Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin and Superintendent of Police Saikat Shahin later paid a visit to the family. A mere donation of Tk 20,000 was offered as immediate assistance, but the bereaved family expressed dissatisfaction with the government's support process.  Their plea is clear: they seek international intervention to ensure justice and an end to their current situation of fearing for their lives every moment of the day. Shafiul is not alone, the repercussions of Myanmar's civil war extend beyond Shafiul's family. Thousands of bordering residents of the country are now passing each day fearing for their lives. Don’t want to share specific date but Myanmar security forces to go back soon: Hasan Mahmud In Tumbru and surrounding areas, at least 12 people have been shot and injured, their suffering further exacerbated by the lack of medical treatment and government support. The victims are now only pleading for assistance, to save their lives which reveals a bitter reality of the toll that geopolitical strife takes on ordinary lives. Unidentified man’s body found along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar

Amid the ongoing conflicts along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, 63 more Myanmar forces and border guards have taken shelter in Bangladesh till Wednesday noon, taking the total number to 327, said BGB sources. A total of 327 Myanmar forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials have taken shelter in Bangladesh, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The 63 Myanmar forces have entered Bangladesh today with arms through Whaikhong in Teknaf border. The BGB disarmed them and took them to a safe shelter, the PRO said. Read: What the BGB DG said during visit to Bangladesh-Myanmar border today In a statement during his visit to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar today (February 7, 2024), Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, newly appointed Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), declared the force’s high alert status to address any potential border-related incidents. During the visit, Major General Siddiqui underscores the BGB’s commitment to maintaining security and sovereignty while adhering to humanitarian principles and fostering positive international relations. “The border situation is fully under control, and we are dedicated to managing it with patience, humanitarian considerations, and in a manner that respects our international obligations, as directed by the Prime Minister. Under no circumstances will illegal entry into Bangladesh be permitted,” Major General Siddiqui emphasized. His remarks came during a thorough inspection of the border outposts at Tambru and Ghumdum areas within the Naikhongchhari upazila. This tour included assessments of the operational conditions and morale among BGB personnel stationed along this critical frontier. Read: No more Rohingyas to be allowed in: New BGB Chief A Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man were killed following an explosion of a mortar shell at a house in Jolpaitoli under Ghumdum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban district on Monday. Besides, academic activities of five government primary schools in Naikhangchhari upazila have been suspended.