report in Dhaka Tribune, Apr 9, 2023
Security measures have been strengthened across the Bandarban district following the death of eight people in a gunfight between two factions of the notorious separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in Rowangchhari upazila.
Bandarban Police Superintendent Md Tariqul Islam said: “We have strengthened the security in the district after the incident. We have increased the intelligence surveillance, we are reviewing the security risks, and the district police is working on this issue.”
Locals are passing the day in extreme fear after the deadly gunfight took place. Some 200 families in that neighborhood have taken refuge in Rowangchhari Government High School in fear and 60 people in Ruma Bom Community Center.
Alipar Khayang, a resident of Khamtang Para in Rowangchhari upazila, said: “After the shootings, we fled from the neighbourhood to Rowangchhari Sadar and took shelter. We will return home when the situation calms down.”
Meanwhile, the army and local administration have been supplying them with food since they took shelter in the school.
Rawangchari Zone Army Camp Commander Fahim Mahmud said: “Due to the increase in terrorist activities of KNF, many people are leaving the area, we have arranged food and accommodation for those who took refuge in the school and community center.”
Quoting KNF Captain Fleming, the separatist group said social media: “The movement of four-wheeled vehicles will be restricted in Ruma, Rowangchhari, Thanchi area. If any person disobeyed the instructions, he would be shot anyway.”
After this instruction, the drivers are not taking their cars on the mountain roads of the upazilas.
Meanwhile, due to the joint operation of security forces against militant organizations and KNF in the border area of Bandarban, at least 200 hotels and motels in the district were about to closed, and laid off their employees.
According to the locals, more than 200 boats, 300 jeeps, and 300 tourist guides carrying tourists from Thanchi and Ruma of the district are now unemployed. Due to not being able to cultivate, hill people are not able to collect their own food, and as a result, traders are going through an extreme economic crisis.
Locals are fearing more major incidents in the district after the latest gunfight killing, the biggest since the implementation of the mountain peace agreement on December 2, 1997. Many workers and businessmen are not going to the upazila sadar in fear, those involved in construction work are returning to the district headquarters.
In this regard, Bandarban Hotel Motel Owners Association Finance Secretary Rajib Baruya said: “After the incident, the final nail has been put in the coffin of Bandarban’s tourism industry.”
On Saturday afternoon after the post-mortem, the leaders of the Bam Social Council received the bodies of the deceased from the Bandarban Sadar Hospital Morgue on behalf of the families of the deceased.
Recent attacks
On March 12 of this year, a senior army warrant officer was killed and two other soldiers suffered injuries when members of KNF opened fire on a patrol team in Rowangchhari upazila of Bandarban.
The deceased was identified as Master Warrant Officer Nazim Uddin, son of late Shamser Ali of Ghaghatpara village of Rangpur Sadar upazila.
On March 15, KNF members abducted nine people, including Sergeant (Retd) Anwar Hossain, while they were working on the road in the Longthasi Jhiri area of Ruma.
In a message on March 18, the KNF claimed that 30 people from the Bom community were detained by the joint forces from September 9 till March, and demanded their release. They threatened to kill Anwar Hossain if the KNF members were not released.
On March 18, the KNF claimed that land mines and bomb traps had been laid in its territory.
On the other hand, the joint forces said that 68 militants of Jama’atul Ansar and several KNF members were arrested during the operation.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2023/04/07/evening-brief-242
