Md. Kamruzzaman
05 January 2020•Update: 05 January 2020
DHAKA, Bangladesh
A high-profile border conference between the border security forces of Bangladesh and Myanmar began in the former's capital Dhaka on Sunday.
Issues of bilateral interest, such as illegal entering of Myanmar's citizens into Bangladesh, curbing smuggling especially narcotics, combating border crimes including terrorist activities and launching combined patrolling in common borders will be highlighted in the five-day conference, according to a press release by the Border Guard Bangladesh on Sunday.
Sensitive issues, including exchange of detained members of border security forces of both countries who entered into the other's territory, either during rough weather or "involuntarily", controlling firing by Myanmar's Border Guard Police or army in border areas, and exchanging information for border safety will also be discussed in the conference, it added.
Myanmar's eight-member team, led by the country's Chief of Police General Staff Brig. Gen. Myo Than, has taken part in the conference, while Maj. Gen. Md Shafeenul Islam, the head of BGB, is leading the 14-member team of Bangladesh, it added.
The 7th border conference of the two Asian neighbors begins at a time when both countries are going through tough courses on the Rohingya crisis.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from Myanmar's Rakhine state during different military crackdowns. Of them, 750,000 fled Myanmar during the August 2017 military clampdown in Rakhine state in the name of operation against militancy.
Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency.
More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience."
Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police, over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down, and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.
A lawsuit in charge of genocide against the Myanmar government and its army is now under the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands.
