Arakan Army (AA), the country’s pro-independence armed group, is fighting government forces in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. In such a situation, weapons and ammunition are being seized along with large shipments of yaba-crystal meth-ice. Recently, in separate operations of RAB, Police, BGB and APBN, a large amount of yaba and ice along with arms and ammunition were seized. At least 21 people including the Bangladesh commander of Arakan Salvation Army (Arsa) were arrested at this time.
The recent seizure of weapons along with drugs has worried the general Rohingya and people of various organizations associated with service activities. They believe that a gang is taking advantage of Myanmar’s conflict situation to bring weapons. They believe that various terrorist groups in the Rohingya camp are using these weapons to worsen the law and order situation.
In this regard, the Commissioner for Refugees, Relief and Repatriation (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the operation of joint forces is going on in the shelter camps to arrest terrorists, control drug smuggling, recover illegal weapons. BGB and Coast Guard are in a strict position at the border of Bangladesh to prevent illegal arms and drug infiltration.
According to multiple sources on the border, the Arakan Army has captured a large part of Rakhine State and more than 19 border posts, army barracks and police outposts of the government forces. A large amount of heavy weapons and ammunition went into the hands of the rebels. A significant part of those weapons are entering the Rohingya refugee camps. 10 armed groups based in the Rohingya refugee camps of Ukhia and Teknaf are involved in collecting weapons across the border. The situation in the refugee camp is becoming unstable.
According to the information of the police, RAB and BGB, last April and this May, law enforcement forces recovered about 4.8 million yaba, more than 10 kg of ice, more than 37 weapons, including a large amount of ammunition and explosives, during raids in Teknaf, Ukhia, Ramu and Bandarban. At this time, 123 people were also arrested. Still, the smuggling of drugs and weapons cannot be brought under control. According to local representatives, as the situation on the other side is getting hotter, the supply of yaba, ice and arms-ammunition is increasing in the country.
Drugs and weapons on the street
On May 19, APBN arrested four members of Myanmar’s armed group Arsa in a raid on a hill next to Hakimpara Rohingya Refugee Camp (Camp-20) in Ukhia. During this time, six weapons and a large amount of ammunition were recovered. On May 15, the police arrested five arms dealers, including one G3 rifle, one foreign pistol and four country-made one-shotguns, in separate raids in the hills of Ukhia and Teknaf. On May 14, RAB raided another Arsa base at Lal Pahar in Ukhia and recovered a large quantity of ammunition including 5 grenades, 3 rifle grenades, 10 country-made hand grenades, 1 foreign revolver. At this time Arsa Bangladesh commander. Shahanur alias Master Salim (38) and one of his associates. Riaz (27) was arrested.
APBN has arrested 42 terrorists with 35 weapons from shelter camps in the last few months. 8 APBN Captain and Additional DIG Mohammad Amir Zafar said that the law and order forces are active to prevent heavy weapons and drugs from entering the shelters across the border.
Teknaf’s Hnila UP chairman Rashed Mahmud Ali and Ukhia’s Palongkhali UP chairman Gafur Uddin Chowdhury said that several smuggling syndicates of the two countries are bringing large shipments of yaba-ice to the country in the unstable situation in Rakhine state. The shelter has now become a safe haven for yaba, ice and weapons stockpiles.