Dhaka, Oct 11 (IANS) Bangladesh has rushed more troops and stepped up diplomatic moves as tension continues to mount along its 300 km border with Myanmar over a fence being erected by Yangon.
Dhaka alleges that Myanmarese border guards have grouped 10,000 Rohingyas, or Muslim tribals, to push across the border.

Myanmar has stationed 10 fighter planes at Sittowe (Akyab) airport and anchored 12 warships in its two rivers as “backup”, The Daily Star said Sunday.

Terming the situation on the border as “abnormal”, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Director General (DG) Major General Mainul Islam said: “Our boys will just open fire in case of incursion into any part of the country.”

A foreign ministry official, however, said Bangladesh believes that all crises with its neighbours can be solved through diplomatic means.

“But that does not mean that we will remain idle if the country’s territorial sovereignty is at stake,” he said.

Bangladesh has over the last three decades faced incursions by Rohingyas, the tribals living on the western flank of the Arakan range, who oppose the military junta ruling in Yangon.

Bangladesh also alleges that Myanmarese job-seekers mix with its work force and try to sneak into various Southeast Asian countries, spoiling its job market abroad, which was a major source of foreign exchange earning.