Bangladesh to install barbed wire fence along border due to Rakhine situation

Photo – The Myanmar-Bangladesh border fence and a Border Guard Police camp in the Maungdaw region, seen in 2014. (Reuters) The Bangladeshi government is planning to install a 108-kilometer barbed wire fence along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, citing the unstable security situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State and an increase in cross-border crimes, Nikkei Asia reported. The project will be implemented only in areas identified as high-security risk zones along the 271-kilometer border between the two countries. This will be the first time Bangladesh has installed a barbed wire fence along its border with a neighboring country. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has stated that the project aims to prevent illegal border crossings, drug and arms smuggling, and human trafficking. BGB officials said that new security challenges have emerged due to the weakening of Myanmar's border management systems following intensified fighting in Rakhine State. Border security analysts have warned that as the Arakan Army's (AA) areas of control expand in Rakhine, drug, arms, and human trafficking along the Naf River could increase. They also noted that the military junta's lack of effective administrative control in some border areas has accelerated Bangladesh's security reinforcement measures. According to BGB data, hundreds of Bangladeshi fishermen have been arrested in the Naf River and the Bay of Bengal since late 2024. Bangladesh has stated that the risks of border crossings and further influx of Rohingya refugees continue. Security experts believe that while the construction of barbed wire fences and border patrol routes can enhance surveillance and control capabilities, border security challenges will not diminish as long as conflicts persist within Myanmar. This post appeared first on BUR.MIZZIMA.COM.