Speakers at a human chain programme in Cox’s Bazar on Friday called for stronger border security, including the construction of border fencing and enhanced surveillance, to curb the trafficking of drugs, arms and ammunition from Myanmar into Bangladesh.
The programme was organised by the Prothom Alo Bondhushava with support from the Prothom Alo Trust at the Central Shaheed Minar in Cox’s Bazar to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The speakers said Bangladesh shares a 271-kilometre land and maritime border with Myanmar, through which large quantities of yaba tablets and crystal methamphetamine, locally known as ‘ice’, are smuggled into Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban every day.
They warned that drug addiction is destroying the country’s younger generation, while drug trafficking is also fuelling organised crime and violence.
Although the Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Navy, Police and Rapid Action Battalion regularly seize narcotics worth hundreds of crores of taka each month, substantial quantities continue to enter the country, they said.
The speakers urged the government to accelerate plans to install border fencing and strengthen law enforcement capacity by increasing surveillance, manpower, and the number of border outposts in remote frontier areas.
Cox’s Bazar Bondhushava president Abdul Nabi chaired the programme, while its general secretary Ulfatul Mostafa Rana moderated it.
Delivering the welcome address, Prothom Alo Cox’s Bazar regional office chief and Bondhushava adviser Abdul Quddus Rana highlighted the newspaper’s social initiatives before expressing concern over the use of Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban as major transit routes for narcotics smuggled from Myanmar.
He alleged that local unemployed people, including some Rohingyas, were being used by trafficking networks and claimed that arms and ammunition were also entering the country through the border.
Mahbubur Rahman, president of the Cox’s Bazar Press Club and editor of the Daily Shaikat, said Myanmar-produced yaba was almost entirely destined for the Bangladeshi market because of demand here.
He expressed concern that many suspected traffickers had secured bail or been acquitted before allegedly returning to the drug trade, calling for stronger monitoring and enforcement against organised trafficking networks.
Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Ali said drug syndicates continued to use various methods to smuggle narcotics and weapons across the border.
He said law enforcement agencies had arrested hundreds of traffickers and seized large consignments of drugs, but many of the alleged masterminds remained in hiding while continuing to control trafficking operations.
Representatives of social, environmental and sports organisations, along with teachers and students from educational institutions, took part in the programme.
At the beginning of the event, members of Bondhushava pledged to reject drug abuse and remain committed to raising public awareness against narcotics.
Among others, speeches were delivered by Bondhushava joint general secretary Margub Morshed, Cox’s Bazar City College Bondhushava president Saiful Islam Sagor, Cox’s Bazar Government College Bondhushava vice-president Lutfor Kabir Shihab, general secretary Sajib Sushil, City College branch reading circle secretary Ayesha Siddika Taskiya and finance secretary Humayun Kabir Aziz.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Courtesy
