Unidentified group from Burma enters Bangladesh, opens fire

Dhaka (Narinjara): An unidentified armed group from Burma fired several rounds in a remote village in Bangladesh near the Burma border after entering Bangladesh territory, said a villager.

“About 15 armed men fired many gunshots in the air making villagers flee when they entered our village,” he said.

The incident occurred in a remote village located in Nakhongsari Township in Bandarban hill district, near Burma border on May 20.

“Our village is small and located at the upper end of a river in Bangladesh which local people call “Pan Wa creek”. All the villagers fled from the village when they saw the armed men who fired in the air,” the villager said.

All the armed men were wearing green coloured uniforms like those of the Burmese Army but the villagers could not identify whether they were Burmese Army troops or Arakanese guerrillas.

The incident was reported by villagers to the border forces in Nakhongsari. However, there is no information whether Bangladeshi border security forces pushed them back to Burma, a local source said.

A monk from the area said, the armed group collected ransom from bamboo and wood cutters, working in the area, before they left.

Most villagers in the area are apprehensive of their security after the incident, said the monk.