Banglar Bir
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Myanmar deploys troops along border
Our Correspondent | Published: 14:45, Sep 09,2017 | Updated: 15:28, Sep 09,2017
At least 124 military personnel of Myanmar moved at zero line of Bangladesh-Myanmar border violating international laws on Saturday noon.
New Age reporter and other journalists saw the army personnel of the neighbouring country moving near Tumbru Konapara of Naikhyangchari in Bandarban.
Around 13,000 persecuted Rohingya refugees who were staying on no man’s land became panicked by the movement of Myanmar troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Manjurul Hassan Khan, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh battalion-34 in Cox’s Bazar, told New Age that it was absolute violation of international law that restricts military movement within five kilometres of international border line.
Around 2,70,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in the past two weeks fleeing violence and persecution in Rakhine state of Myanmar, said UN refugee agency UNHCR on Friday.
http://www.newagebd.net/article/23656/myanmar-deploys-troops-along-border
Mine Ban Policy
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh attended the First Meeting of States Parties to the ban treaty in Maputo, Mozambique in May 1999. At the Hague Appeal for Peace conference in the Netherlands in May 1999, Bangladesh's Prime Minister told the ICBL's Jody Williams that she strongly supported rapid ratification of the ban treaty.
Bangladesh military officials attended the ICRC's regional seminar on landmines, held in Sri Lanka in August 1999. Bangladesh voted for the pro-ban treaty UNGA resolution in December 1999, as it had in 1997 and 1998. In March 2000, a leader of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told Landmine Monitor, "If the present government does not ratify the Mine Ban Treaty, we will do it on a priority basis if voted to power in future." Bangladesh has not participated in the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional work program of Standing Committees of Experts.
Bangladesh has not signed the Amended Protocol II (Landmines) of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, though it attended the First Annual Conference for States Parties to Protocol II in December 1999. Bangladesh is a member of the Conference on Disarmament, but has not been a strong proponent or opponent of mine negotiations in that forum.
The government acknowledges that there is a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but a foreign ministry official told Landmine Monitor that "stockpiling of antipersonnel mines in Bangladesh is very negligible in comparison to the neighboring countries."
The number, types, and suppliers of the mines are unknown. The military maintains that it has never employed antipersonnel mines.
The Shanti Bahini and other opposition groups that have fought with the Bangladesh Army also state that they have not used antipersonnel mines and improvised explosive devices in the past. Armed rebel groups from India and Burma are said to be hiding inside Bangladesh, but there is no evidence of stockpiling or use of antipersonnel mines by these groups within Bangladesh territory.
The Burmese Army has also reportedly planted mines in response to border incidents. A Bangladesh military officer told Landmine Monitor that the Burmese Na Sa Ka (special security forces for the Arakan province) have used mines to funnel the trafficking in smuggled goods past their outposts so that they can extort a share of this trafficking.
Mined lands include the Ukhia and Ramu sub-districts of the Cox's Bazar district and the Naikongchari, Alikadam and Thansi sub-districts of the Banderban district. As these areas are mostly hilly, human habitation is not so dense. Perhaps some 200,000 people, most belonging to the Ukhia, Ramu, and Naikongchari sub-districts, who depend on occupations connected with hilly areas are affected by the presence of mines in those areas.
Mined areas are not marked or fenced.
According to a Bangladesh Rifles source, from June 1994 to October 1996, sixty-three antipersonnel mines were cleared in the Chakdala, Fultali, Rejupara, Ashartali, and Lembu Chari areas. In 1997, the Bangladesh Rifles cleared a five-kilometer-long area from Ghumdum to Tambru in Naikongchari sub-district. A journalist reports that another four mines were recovered from paddy land in Chakdala on 20 June 1998.
Bangladesh has repeatedly requested Burmese authorities to survey and assess the border minefields. Burma has generally not responded positively, though on 17 July 1999 Burmese Foreign Minister Aung, while visiting Bangladesh, said that his country was "ready to cooperate with Bangladesh experts." To date no action has been taken. Burmese authorities have claimed that they cleared mines along the border from October 1997 to January 1998, though there continue to be victims.
Bangladesh has neither received nor given any mine action funding.
At least 125 more have been injured by mines. Of the fifty-three deaths, ten occurred from 1993-1996, seventeen in 1997, thirteen in 1998, one in 1999, and the year could not be ascertained for twelve deaths. The victims include both Bangladesh nationals and Burmese Rohingya ethnic minorities. Most of the mine victims are woodcutters. They also include some farmers, two traders, one ex-police constable and a Bangladesh Rifles soldier. Except for one tribal woman and one child, all victims have been males aged between 14 and 40.It is likely that many more landmine incidents have gone unreported and unrecorded. Numerous elephants and other wild animals have also fallen victim to mines.
Memorial Christian hospital is said to have a good orthopedic department with necessary equipment and technicians. Psychological care of victims appears non-existent at both government and private hospitals.
Hospital personnel state that victims of explosives and firearms are reluctant to come to hospitals in Bangladesh, as they fear police inquiries each time such accidents are reported. Thus mine victims may not go to a hospital, but instead seek the help of other medical personnel.
Recently the government declared that ten percent of the total population is disabled, physically or mentally. To assist them, the government has formed a trust fund with one hundred million in Bangladeshi Taka (about $2 million). It is unclear if mine survivors are included. In addition, adoption of a disability law is underway, with cabinet approval on 8 May 2000.
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/landmines/LMWeb-18.htm
Our Correspondent | Published: 14:45, Sep 09,2017 | Updated: 15:28, Sep 09,2017
At least 124 military personnel of Myanmar moved at zero line of Bangladesh-Myanmar border violating international laws on Saturday noon.
New Age reporter and other journalists saw the army personnel of the neighbouring country moving near Tumbru Konapara of Naikhyangchari in Bandarban.
Around 13,000 persecuted Rohingya refugees who were staying on no man’s land became panicked by the movement of Myanmar troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Manjurul Hassan Khan, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh battalion-34 in Cox’s Bazar, told New Age that it was absolute violation of international law that restricts military movement within five kilometres of international border line.
Around 2,70,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in the past two weeks fleeing violence and persecution in Rakhine state of Myanmar, said UN refugee agency UNHCR on Friday.
http://www.newagebd.net/article/23656/myanmar-deploys-troops-along-border
Mine Ban Policy
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh attended the First Meeting of States Parties to the ban treaty in Maputo, Mozambique in May 1999. At the Hague Appeal for Peace conference in the Netherlands in May 1999, Bangladesh's Prime Minister told the ICBL's Jody Williams that she strongly supported rapid ratification of the ban treaty.
Bangladesh military officials attended the ICRC's regional seminar on landmines, held in Sri Lanka in August 1999. Bangladesh voted for the pro-ban treaty UNGA resolution in December 1999, as it had in 1997 and 1998. In March 2000, a leader of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told Landmine Monitor, "If the present government does not ratify the Mine Ban Treaty, we will do it on a priority basis if voted to power in future." Bangladesh has not participated in the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional work program of Standing Committees of Experts.
Bangladesh has not signed the Amended Protocol II (Landmines) of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, though it attended the First Annual Conference for States Parties to Protocol II in December 1999. Bangladesh is a member of the Conference on Disarmament, but has not been a strong proponent or opponent of mine negotiations in that forum.
The government acknowledges that there is a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but a foreign ministry official told Landmine Monitor that "stockpiling of antipersonnel mines in Bangladesh is very negligible in comparison to the neighboring countries."
The number, types, and suppliers of the mines are unknown. The military maintains that it has never employed antipersonnel mines.
The Shanti Bahini and other opposition groups that have fought with the Bangladesh Army also state that they have not used antipersonnel mines and improvised explosive devices in the past. Armed rebel groups from India and Burma are said to be hiding inside Bangladesh, but there is no evidence of stockpiling or use of antipersonnel mines by these groups within Bangladesh territory.
The Burmese Army has also reportedly planted mines in response to border incidents. A Bangladesh military officer told Landmine Monitor that the Burmese Na Sa Ka (special security forces for the Arakan province) have used mines to funnel the trafficking in smuggled goods past their outposts so that they can extort a share of this trafficking.
Mined lands include the Ukhia and Ramu sub-districts of the Cox's Bazar district and the Naikongchari, Alikadam and Thansi sub-districts of the Banderban district. As these areas are mostly hilly, human habitation is not so dense. Perhaps some 200,000 people, most belonging to the Ukhia, Ramu, and Naikongchari sub-districts, who depend on occupations connected with hilly areas are affected by the presence of mines in those areas.
Mined areas are not marked or fenced.
According to a Bangladesh Rifles source, from June 1994 to October 1996, sixty-three antipersonnel mines were cleared in the Chakdala, Fultali, Rejupara, Ashartali, and Lembu Chari areas. In 1997, the Bangladesh Rifles cleared a five-kilometer-long area from Ghumdum to Tambru in Naikongchari sub-district. A journalist reports that another four mines were recovered from paddy land in Chakdala on 20 June 1998.
Bangladesh has repeatedly requested Burmese authorities to survey and assess the border minefields. Burma has generally not responded positively, though on 17 July 1999 Burmese Foreign Minister Aung, while visiting Bangladesh, said that his country was "ready to cooperate with Bangladesh experts." To date no action has been taken. Burmese authorities have claimed that they cleared mines along the border from October 1997 to January 1998, though there continue to be victims.
Bangladesh has neither received nor given any mine action funding.
At least 125 more have been injured by mines. Of the fifty-three deaths, ten occurred from 1993-1996, seventeen in 1997, thirteen in 1998, one in 1999, and the year could not be ascertained for twelve deaths. The victims include both Bangladesh nationals and Burmese Rohingya ethnic minorities. Most of the mine victims are woodcutters. They also include some farmers, two traders, one ex-police constable and a Bangladesh Rifles soldier. Except for one tribal woman and one child, all victims have been males aged between 14 and 40.It is likely that many more landmine incidents have gone unreported and unrecorded. Numerous elephants and other wild animals have also fallen victim to mines.
Memorial Christian hospital is said to have a good orthopedic department with necessary equipment and technicians. Psychological care of victims appears non-existent at both government and private hospitals.
Hospital personnel state that victims of explosives and firearms are reluctant to come to hospitals in Bangladesh, as they fear police inquiries each time such accidents are reported. Thus mine victims may not go to a hospital, but instead seek the help of other medical personnel.
Recently the government declared that ten percent of the total population is disabled, physically or mentally. To assist them, the government has formed a trust fund with one hundred million in Bangladeshi Taka (about $2 million). It is unclear if mine survivors are included. In addition, adoption of a disability law is underway, with cabinet approval on 8 May 2000.
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/landmines/LMWeb-18.htm
