Mokammel Shuvo

There is growing concern along border areas in Cox's Bazar of a fresh Rohingya influx into Bangladesh from the conflict zone in Myanmar's Rakhine, due to recent attacks on the Muslim ethnic group

Hotels, resorts and motels in the country’s holiday destinations are lying idle for a lack of tourists amidst the deterioration of law and order since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister on August 5 in the face of a mass uprising.

Hasina Begum has become numb since her eldest son, Ahsan Habib, 25, died after being shot in the neck during a clash centring the quota reform protest on July 18.

Zahra Mayeesha, a 26-year-old private job holder, was preparing to return to Dhaka from a two-day vacation to Sreemangal with her husband on July 16.

While the World Refugee Day is being observed today across the globe, Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazar are still passing days amid uncertainty regarding their repatriation to Myanmar.

Amid growing skirmishes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army across the border, movement of vessels between Teknaf and the Saint Martin’s Island has become risky, causing uncertainty over supply of food and other essentials to the island.

Two trawlers from Teknaf will sail for the St Martin’s today with essentials to ease the food crisis on the island, said Yamin Hossain, additional district magistrate of Cox’s Bazar, yesterday.

People of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila have been hearing loud sounds of explosions in Myanmar’s Rakhine state over the last two days.

Cox's Bazar is the main hub of salt production in the country and officials estimate 38,000 metric tonnes of salt are being produced each day.

Thousands of tourists flocked to Cox's Bazar beach this weekend amid the extreme heatwave when the country has been witnessing the record high temperatures in April in 76 years

The fighting in Myanmar between the military junta and the Arakan Army across the border from Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar intensified yesterday, heightening anxiety on the Bangladesh side.  

Syed Akhbar, 60, a resident of Shikdarpara village under Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila, went to a nearby community health clinic a year ago after experiencing an unusual, recurring headache.

Powerful syndicates are involved in lifting earth and sand illegally in Cox’s Bazar, generating no less than Tk 5 crore daily from this business.

The killing of Sazzaduzzaman, 30, a forest officer in Cox’s Bazar, was not the first time that a forest official got killed by those involved in hill razing and tree felling in the forest areas of Cox’s Bazar.

The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Myanmar through the Teknaf land port came to a complete halt on Sunday due to the escalation of the fighting in Rakhine state between the government forces in the Southeast Asian nation and the rebel Arakan Army.

Different marine species, including sea turtles and dolphins, have been dying on Cox’s Bazar shore in recent times.

A possible retaliation by Myanmar forces to regain territories in Rakhine may force more Rohingyas to enter Bangladesh in the coming days, said Rohingya leaders living in Teknaf.

Amid fighting between Myanmar troops and the rebel Arakan Army on the other side of the Naf river, a small boat carrying five Rohingyas, including a woman with bullet wounds, arrived at the Shahporir Dwip jetty in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf yesterday evening.

Amid continuous fighting between Myanmar troops and the armed group called Arakan Army, many residents of Rakhine State have taken shelter on small boats on the Naf river along the border.

A total of 330 Myanmar nationals who crossed the border and took shelter in Bangladesh to escape the fighting between the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army returned to their country yesterday.