Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former MP Professor Mia Golam Parwar issued a statement on June 16, expressing deep concern over the situation arising from the firing of bullets at Bangladeshi boats in the Naf River from Myanmar and condemning the silent role of the government.
In the statement, he said, “On the way back after taking the votes of Teknaf Upazila Parishad elections on June 5, the election officers and the trawler carrying bricks, sand and food items were fired from Myanmar on June 8. Bangladeshi boats are being fired at almost every day in the Naf river. On June 11, there was also a shooting incident. As a result, all types of boat traffic is stopped. In such a situation, about 10,000 residents of St. Martin are trapped. There is a shortage of food, medicine and daily commodities. The sick cannot come to the mainland for better treatment. There is great anxiety among the islanders.
In the statement, he also said that even though there is extreme instability in St. Martin Island, the Bangladesh government has not been seen to take any effective action so far. It is very sad. The main responsibility of the government is to ensure the independence and sovereignty of the country and the life and property of the citizens. But the separatist government that came to power through dummy elections is not playing any role in fulfilling that responsibility. It is very dishonorable for an independent-sovereign country. It is unfortunate for the nation. We condemn and protest the government’s knee-jerk role in protecting the country’s geographical integrity, independence and sovereignty.