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Bangladesh–Myanmar border

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Bangladesh–Myanmar border
Map of Bangladesh, with Myanmar to the south-east
Characteristics
Entities Bangladesh  Myanmar
Length271 kilometres (168 mi)

The Bangladesh–Myanmar border is the international border between the countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar (formerly Burma).[1] The border stretches 271.0 kilometres (168.4 miles), from the tripoint with India in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south.[2] About 210 km (130 mi) of the border is fenced, with the government of Myanmar announcing in 2017 that it was planning to fence off the rest of the border.[3][4]

On 9 December 2024, Arakan Army captured all of the Burmese military outposts and seized control of Myanmar's border with Bangladesh.[5]

Description

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The border starts in the north at the tripoint with Mizoram, India. It then proceeds southwards overland before turning west at a point west of Paletwa. The border then proceeds to the west, north-west and then south in a broad arc before reaching the Naf River. The border then follows this wide river southwards out to the Bay of Bengal.

At present, the border is closed to foreign nationals.[6]

History

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Historically the border region has been a contested area located at the edge of the various Indian and Burmese empires.[7] Britain had begun conquering India (including modern Bangladesh) in the 17th century, and gradually took control of most of the country, forming British India. From the 1820s-80s, Britain also gradually conquered Burma; by the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826, which ended the First Anglo-Burmese War, Burma recognised British control over Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and the Taninthayi coast, thereby delimiting much of the Indo-Burmese modern boundary in general terms.[8][9] Large swathes of Burma were annexed following the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852–53.[7][10] The remainder of Burma was conquered in 1885 and incorporated into British India.[11][12][13] Further Indo-Burmese boundary modifications were made in 1894, 1896, 1901, 1921 and 1922.[7]

The border between Bangladesh and Myanmar near the BGB Ghat, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

In 1937, Burma was split off from India and became a separate colony.[14] In 1947, India gained independence; however, the country was split into two states (India and Pakistan), with the southernmost section of the Burma-India border becoming that between Burma and East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh).[7] Burma gained independence in 1948.[7] In 1971, Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan after a war and thereby inherited the border with Burma.[15]

Since then, the boundary area has often been unstable owing to armed conflicts such as the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict (1977–1997) in south-east Bangladesh and the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine state. The latter has been ongoing for decades yet has reached a particular intensity since 2016. The latest round of fighting has resulted in Rohingya refugees crossing the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh.[16] Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to close their borders during sudden influxes of Rohingya refugees.[17] On Myanmar's side of the border in Maungdaw District, 80 percent of the population is Rohingya.[18]

On 9 December 2024, the Arakan Army (AA) gained full control of Myanmar's 270-kilometer-long border with Bangladesh, capturing Maungdaw Township and the Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5 after months of intense fighting. With this victory, the AA currently controls all three Burmese townships bordering Bangladesh: Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Paletwa.[19]

Incidents

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In 2014, members of the Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) opened fire on a Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) patrol, killing one.[20][21] In 2015, an armed clash occurred on the border between the Arakan Army and the BGB.[22] In 2022, Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) bombed the Bangladesh border after the Arakan Army seized a Myanmar police outpost in Maungdaw town in Rakhine State, according to a Prothom Alo news report.[23] In February 2024, during combat between Arakan Army and BGP, at least 264 Myanmar military personnel sought refuge in Bangladesh, where they were disarmed and sheltered by the BGB.[24]

There have also been a number of incidents down the years involving fishermen on the Naf river allegedly illegally crossing the boundary.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ James, Helen (2006). Security and Sustainable Development in Myanmar. Routledge. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-134-25393-7. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Burma". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Myanmar to fence remaining border with Bangladesh". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Border fence upgrade for troubled Rakhine". Burma News International. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Rebel group claims to have taken control of Myanmar's border with Bangladesh in grinding civil war". CNN. Associated Press. 10 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Arriving and Departing Over Land". Go Myanmar. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e "International Boundary Study No. 80 Burma – India Boundary" (PDF). US Department of State. 15 May 1968. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  8. ^ Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. Phayre (1967). History of Burma (2 ed.). London: Sunil Gupta. p. 237.
  9. ^ Thant Myint-U (2001). The Making of Modern Burma. Cambridge University Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-521-79914-0.
  10. ^ D.G.E.Hall (1960). Burma (PDF). Hutchinson University Library. pp. 109–113. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-05-19.
  11. ^ The Victorians at war, 1815-1914: an encyclopedia of British military history. p. 70.
  12. ^ Thant Myint-U (2001). The Making of Modern Burma. Cambridge University Press. pp. 18. ISBN 0-521-79914-7.
  13. ^ Webster, Anthony (1998). Gentlemen Capitalists: British Imperialism in South East Asia, 1770–1890. I.B.Tauris. pp. 142–145. ISBN 978-1-86064-171-8.
  14. ^ "Sword For Pen". Time. 12 April 1937.
  15. ^ Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh, Page 289
  16. ^ "Around 27,400 Rohingya flee into Bangladesh from Myanmar: UN sources". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to consider sealing border if new crisis erupts". Frontier Myanmar. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  18. ^ Galache, Carlos Sardiña. "Rohingya Villagers Recount a Brutal Crackdown in Myanmar". Time. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  19. ^ Irrawaddy, The (2024-12-09). "AA Takes Complete Control of Myanmar-Bangladesh Border After Seizing Maungdaw". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  20. ^ "Myanmar returns arms, ammo of slain BGB man". The Daily Star. 2014-06-05. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  21. ^ "Myanmar's border force regrets Mizan's killing". The Daily Star. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  22. ^ "Bandarban BGB camp comes under mortar attack". The Daily Star. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  23. ^ "Myanmar bombs Bangladesh border after Arakan Army seizes outpost: Report". Prothom Alo. 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  24. ^ "BGB: 264 members of Myanmar border, security forces taking shelter in Bangladesh". Dhaka Tribube. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Online Burma Library > Main Library > Human Rights > Various Rights > Various rights: reports of violations in Burma > Burma Human Rights Yearbooks (1994-2008)". burmalibrary.org.
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