Shootings near the border hamper agriculture

Stray bullets from constant shootings on the other side of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border area of Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari upazila have left the residents in fear of their life.

Agricultural activities have come to a halt in the upazila’s Ghumdhum union where 80 per cent of people are involved in farming. Farmers are unable to work in their farmlands by the border due to the recent increase in shelling around the area.

At the same time, the attendance rate of students has decreased in educational institutions due to the same reason.

Farmers said panic spread across Ghumdhum’s residents living close to the border as shelling and occasional stray rounds of bullets find their way across from Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

The farmers are unable to go to the fields to tend their Aman paddy fields. They are concerned about reaching the production target this season due to this.

Farmer Ramzan Ali, a resident of the Tumbru area, said, “I have cultivated Aman paddy on one acre of land in the current season but have not been able to tend to my field since planting. Besides, the BGB has also warned us not to move around the border area.”

Ali Hossain, another farmer, said, “In the current season, I have taken the initiative to cultivate about two acres of paddy but due to a lack of rain, I have not been able to complete the plantation process. But now I cannot go to the fields in fear.”

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Naikhongchhari upazila sources, the total arable land in Ghumdhum union is 1,055 acres. Out of this, 628 hectares are single crop lands and the rest is used in multiple cropping.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Inamul Haque said, “Fear has spread among the people due to the shootings by the border. Since the farmers have not made any formal complaints on this matter, it is not yet possible to tell the extent of the impact of this panic.”

The Tumbru Government Primary School, located within 20 kilometres of the border, saw a significant decrease in student presence this week.

Mohammad Hossain, whose son attends the school, said, “My son has not been able to attend school for the past two weeks due to safety concerns. This situation is hampering his education.”

Referring to the shootings across the border, Assistant Teacher of Tumbru Government Primary School Mohammad Shahjahan said, “Due to the shelling on the border for the past few weeks, the attendance rate of students has decreased by 30 per cent in almost all educational institutions of Ghumdhum Union.”

He added that if this situation continues, the number of student attendance will decrease further in the future.

Locals said the day labourers are in a poorer condition as they cannot find any work in this situation and spend their days in misery.

There are more than 20 rubber tree plantations of the local people in the territory of Bangladesh near pillars 39, 40 and 41 of the zero line of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border where more than 3,000 people work, according to local sources.

On September 3, a mortar shell fired by Myanmar’s security forces landed next to a rubber plantation, prompting around 2,000 plantation workers to be evacuated to safety. The workers returned to work five days ago but are still apprehensive about the situation.

According to the local public representatives, firearm shooting is a common occurrence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The locals are afraid of mortar shells or stray bullets finding their way across the border.

Earlier, Bangladesh had strongly protested the incident of two mortar shells fired from a helicopter on August 28 and September 3.

Chairman of Ghumdhum Union Parishad, AKM Jahangir Aziz, said, “Bangladeshi farmers cultivate paddy and vegetables on about 800 acres of land around the zero ground. Some farmers are insecure about going to their farmlands due to the mortar shell incidents recently.”

Naikhongchhari upazila Nirbahi Officer Salma Ferdous said security has been strengthened at the border to prevent Rohingya infiltration. She added that locals have been advised by the administration to not panic.

Rohingya infiltration at the border

Conflicts within Myanmar are affecting border areas as Rohingyas are again entering Bangladesh through the border. In the last few days, at least 30 Rohingyas have taken shelter in Kutupalong and Balukhali camps in Cox’s Bazar.

According to local sources, more Rohingyas are preparing to enter Bangladesh. Some areas of Ukhiya and Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar and Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban are most vulnerable to Rohingya infiltration.

Gafur Uddin Chowdhury, chairman of Palongkhali union parishad of Ukhiya, said, “The Rohingyas are fleeing under the pretext of Myanmar’s internal conflicts going for the past few days. Rohingyas are coming every day through the border.”