Bangladesh protests Myanmar’s false allegations over ‘terror attack’

The Foreign Ministry has yet again summoned the Ambassador of Myanmar to Bangladesh to register protest against the publication of false and misleading news about the situation along the border.   

Delwar Hossain, director general of the South East Asia wing of the Foreign Ministry, called Myanmar envoy Lwin Oo to his office on Tuesday afternoon and handed over a diplomatic communication to make Bangladesh government’s frustration known, a senior Foreign Ministry official told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We have made it clear to the envoy that whatever has been published in Myanmar’s media were false and fabricated,” he said.

According to reports of the Myanmar media, a group of terrorists crossed into Myanmar from Bangladesh and carried out an attack on a police outpost in the Longodu town of the Rakhine State on January 24.

It was conveyed on the part of Bangladesh that no one crossed illegally into Myanmar and no shots were fired, said the official, adding that the Myanmar media had carried out such reports earlier.

“We have made it clear unequivocally that there is no existence of terrorist organizations in Bangladesh and that Bangladesh has put forward a proposal to Myanmar to work together against terrorism. We have also proposed for joint patrol along the border, but Naypyitaw is yet to reply,” he said. 

The ambassador assured the director general of conveying Bangladesh’s message to the competent authorities of Myanmar, added the official.         

This was the latest in the series of summons that the Myanmar envoy had to respond from the Foreign Ministry recently.

Earlier on January 15, he was summoned to seek explanation as to why permanent structures are being erected within 150 yards of the zero line of the border with Bangladesh along the Tomru canal in the Naikhongchhari upazila of the Bandarban district.

On December 5, 2018, the envoy was called to the Foreign Ministry which lodged a strong protest for the derogatory remarks made by one its ministers about the Muslims living in that country.

Earlier on November 7, he was summoned in respect to the shooting towards Bangladesh by his country’s border police.