Ghumdhum farmers fear losing yields as Myanmar shelling continues

Back from Ghumdhum

"Our jhum paddy plants have started to yield but we cannot go to the crop fields due to frequent shelling of Myanmar," Saki Mong, a resident of Ghumdhum union of Bandarban's Naikhongchhari, lamented while talking to The Business Standard on Wednesday. 

"If applying fertiliser on the paddy fields is not possible right now, the crop will be ruined. We don't know how we will survive then." 

Saki Mong is one of the hundreds of Bandarban farmers in the border areas of Myanmar, where a panic prevails for the last few weeks due to continuous mortar shelling in the ongoing clash between Myanmar's Border Guard Police and the Arakan Army in the Myanmar border. 

Meanwhile, the border area educational institutions there have witnessed a drastic fall in student attendance over the past few days and some schools were closed yesterday. 

"A tension spread all over the area, especially after last Friday incidents which killed one and wounded many. We now cannot think of going to our fields or taking cattle home," Mouza Head for Tumbru area Tainja Pru Tonchonga told TBS. 

"Due to continuous shelling, the border area farmers cannot harvest or market their crops and vegetables. As a result, the hilly people mostly dependent on farming are now in an economic crisis. If the situation prolongs, humanitarian disaster may occur here," said AK Jahangir Aziz, chairman of Ghumdhum union.

Various crops and vegetables have been cultivated in 347 hectares of jhum land in the upazila – Naikhongchhari, he told The Business Standard, and noted that the crops  and vegetables from the area are used to supply to different districts of the country. 

The clash between the Myanmar Border Guard Police and insurgent armed force Arkan Army grew over taking control of their different areas. They have been firing shells at each other for the past one month. 

A large part of a hill on the Myanmar side near Baishpari area was burnt by the shelling of the Myanmar army.

Meanwhile on 16 September, a Bangladeshi youth lost his leg in a landmine explosion at the Ghumdhum union. On the same day, a Rohingya youth was killed and five other women and children were injured in another mortar shell.

Many terrified local residents have left the area since then.  The Border Guard Bangladesh also increased vigilance there.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner for Bandarban  Yasmin Parvin Tibrizi told TBS that the government is with the border area people who are now in tension. 

"Affected farmers will get support from the government. Our law enforcement agencies are on high alert to deal with the situation," she added. 

Schools found closed 

A number of schools near the Tumbru border area (under Ghumdhum union) have been closed amid escalating tension.

Visiting the area yesterday, our correspondent found that Tumbru Government Primary School, Paschimkul Tumbru Ghumdhum Government Primary School, Baispari Government Primary School, and Bhajbania Government Primary School were closed.

The main gates of all those schools were found shut down and there were no teachers or students. The guards on duty said the schools were closed for a week next.

There are 14 primary schools, a college, a high school, and a madrasa in Ghumdhum union. Among these, Tumbru Government Primary School, Baispari Government Primary School and Bhajbania Government Primary School are located within 200 yards of the Myanmar border.

Bandarban District Education Officer Sarit Kumar Chakma, however, told The Business Standard over the phone that he was not aware of any decision to close down the schools in the area.

Md Sheikh Sadeque, additional deputy commissioner (education and ICT) of Bandarban, told TBS, "There is no direction from the district administration in this regard. However, the headmasters of the local schools may have taken the decision due to the current situation."