At least 29 members of  Border Guard Police (BGP) from Myanmar have taken shelter in Bangladesh Amid the conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group in Rakhine state of Myanmar. The  BGP members have taken refuge in Bangladesh through the border area of Bandarban's Jamchari union under Naikhongchhari BGB's Battalion 11. Public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh, Shariful Islam, confirmed the matter to the reporters. Earlier, at least 330 members of Myanmar armed forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials had taken shelter in Bangladesh in February.  However, they were sent back on February 15 to Border Guard Police of Myanmar.  

At least six Rohingya people were killed following infighting between two rival groups at Ukhiya Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar. Seven more people were injured in the incident which occurred at 18 number Rohingya camp at Ukhiya in the early hours of Friday. The Armed Police Battalion (APBN) members have detained one person named Mujibur Rahman along with fire arms in this connection. Drives are on to detain other culprits in the Rohingya camp. APBN members  have so far confirmed death of six people. The deceased were identified as Md. Idris (32), Ibrahim Hossain (22), Azizul Haque (26) and Md. Amin (32). The other two dead bodies were yet to be identified. APBN sources said, the reason behind the clash is not clear. Six people were killed in the incident. Seven injured people were admitted to Ukhiya MSF Hospital. So far one person was detained. Drives are underway to detain the culprits. A team of police members from Cox’s Bazar district was deployed in the spot. According to Cox’s Bazar additional police super Rafiqul Islam, six dead bodies were sent to the Ukhiya police station. The dead bodies will be sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for autopsy. Process is underway to file a case in this connection, he added. Following the situation panic has gripped the Rohingya people staying in the adjacent shelter camps. Law enforcement agency members are on high alert in the Rohingya camps. AH      

Bangladesh has pointed out international community's continuous call only on Bangladesh to shelter Rohingyas floating at Bay on boat saying the other countries of the Bay of Bengal region are not requested to share the burden in a similar way.    Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen urged all the countries to take effective steps quickly to resolve the Rohingya crisis.    He conveyed the message when British Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations Lord Ahmad made a phone call to him on Monday requesting Bangladesh to give shelter to floating Rohingyas at Bay.    "Despite limited resources, Bangladesh has already given shelter to around 1.1 million Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. The small number of floating 500 Rohingyas are not in Bangladesh territory," he said.    Talking to UNB, a diplomat said it is the responsibility of surrounding countries of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea to share the responsibility and helping the distressed people in the deep sea.    There are eight countries -- Myanmar, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Bangladesh – in the Bay of Bengal region.    Foreign Minister Dr Momen said though Bangladesh was requested to give shelter to floating Rohingyas showing humanity, other countries in the region were not requested to do the same thing.   He conveyed the UK Minister to take the floating Rohingyas sending their Royal ship.     The Foreign Minister also said other countries of the world should take 1.1 million Rohingyas and give them shelter in their respective countries.    Earlier, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, sought greater coordination and responsibility-sharing by states to address the maritime movements of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea saving lives.    "We’re increasingly concerned by reports of failure to disembark vessels in distress and of the grave immediate risk this poses to the men, women and children on board," said Indrika Ratwatte, Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.   The UNHCR official said saving lives at sea must be a collective effort in which any one state that rescues and disembarks refugees can draw on resources pooled from other states in the region.   "Predictable disembarkation and safe pathways for refugees in distress strengthen public health by ensuring that whatever the manner of arrival, people go through appropriate health screening," said Ratwatte.   The UNHCR official said it safeguards prevention measures rather than risking that people will instead seek clandestine points of entry without going through proper quarantine procedures.   Rescue at sea and allowing the persecuted to seek asylum are fundamental tenets of customary international law, by which all states are bound, said the UN agency.    Beyond the current COVID-19 crisis, Ratwatte said, a predictable and humane disembarkation approach will remain critical. "UNHCR is calling on all states to uphold these lifesaving obligations to refugees and asylum-seekers."   The UNHCR said search and rescue, along with prompt disembarkation, are lifesaving acts.    "The dire – and, in many cases, fatal – predicament of thousands of refugees and migrants in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in 2015 ultimately demonstrated the critical, humanitarian imperative for solidarity and joint action to address threats to life at sea," said Ratwatte.   The 2016 Bali Declaration embodied these principles and outlined the way forward to prevent another crisis in the Andaman Sea.    "We must not return to such life-threatening uncertainty today," said Ratwatte.   In the context of the unprecedented current COVID-19 crisis, the UNHCR official said, all states must manage their borders as they see fit.    "But such measures shouldn’t result in the closure of avenues to asylum, or of forcing people to return to situations of danger. UNHCR stands ready to support Governments in carrying out responsible disembarkation procedures and quarantine measures to ensure that public health issues are addressed."   Ratwatte said the challenge of irregular movement is not unique to Asia.    Refugees and asylum-seekers move through unofficial and often inherently risky channels because it is the only option available to them. The reality for many refugees is that persecution and threats to their lives and well-being are more immediate than COVID-19.   "UNHCR notes and is encouraged by the Association of South East Asian States’ clear commitment to joint action and a whole-of-society approach in the context of COVID-19," said the UNHCR official.    Leaving no-one behind is the only lasting means of ensuring that we collectively beat this global challenge, and they are all only as strong as their most vulnerable members, said Ratwatte. Source: UNB AH

Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Shah Kamal said, 12 lakh 40 thousand 795 people from the risky areas of coastal districts have been taken to the shelter centers till Friday evening due to cyclonic storm ‘Fani’. He delivered the information at a press conference at the secretariat on Friday evening. The Secretary also said, navy, coast guard, police, ansar-VDP, volunteers along with political activists are taking part in different activities including bringing people to the shelter centers. 13 thousand 500 square kilometers areas of 147 upazilas under 19 districts are identified as coastal areas. Nearly 1 crore 80 lakh people are living there. There are 4 thousand 71 shelter centers in these 19 districts and most of those are prepared. According to the met office information after being weakened the cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ can hit Khulna and southwestern regions of Bangladesh in Friday midnight. Then it may proceed towards northern part of Bangladesh lashing over Rajshahi and Rangpur. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Sate Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr. Enamur Rahman, Chairman of parliamentary standing committee on disaster management and relief ministry AB Tajul Islam, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nojibur Rahman and others were present in the press conference. AH    

A powerful cyclone has slammed into India's eastern coastline, bringing torrential rains and winds of up to 200 km/h (125mph). Cyclone Fani, one of the most severe storms to hit the region in recent years, made landfall at 08:00 local time (02:30 GMT) on Friday. More than one million people have been evacuated from the eastern state of Orissa, also called Odisha. A state official said two people had been killed. Flooding has also been reported in several areas, and forecasters say a storm surge of 1.5m (5ft) could threaten low-lying homes. The cyclone made landfall in the tourist town of Puri, which is home to the 858-year-old Jagannath temple. It is expected to hit 15 districts in Orissa, one of India's poorest states, before weakening on Saturday. What is the latest? Numerous flights and train services in and out of the state have been cancelled, while schools and government offices are shut. Operations at three ports on India's eastern coast have also been shut down. Naval warships and helicopters are on standby with medical teams and relief materials. The country's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also deployed several teams there. India's National Disaster Management Authority has warned people along the east coast, especially fishermen, not to go out to sea because the conditions are "phenomenal". The agency said the "total destruction of thatched houses" was possible, as well as "extensive damage" to other structures. "I can confirm two deaths for now," Orissa special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told AFP news agency. "[A] man in one of the shelters died because of a heart attack. Another person went out in the storm despite our warnings and died because a tree fell on him," he said. The cyclone is expected to move towards Chittagong in Bangladesh in a weaker form on Saturday. It coincides with high tides in the country, which may exacerbate potential flooding issues there. The port city of Cox's Bazar, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees live in camps with minimal shelter, is also on alert. But the cyclone is currently not expected to hit the camps unless it changes path, which is not thought likely. Source: BBC AH