Bangladesh–Myanmar border

Bangladesh–Myanmar border
Map of Bangladesh, with Myanmar to the south-east
Characteristics
Entities	Bangladesh  Myanmar
Length	271 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

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

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

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

• Bangladesh–Myanmar relations

References

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. "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.