Bangladesh protests Myanmar airspace violations

Dhaka has protested the repeated violations of its airspace by Myanmar as tensions escalate between the two sides on the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, which has triggered an exodus of refugees into Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that it had summoned the charge d’affaires of Myanmar’s embassy in Dhaka to complain about a three-time encroachment on its airspace over the last week.

“Bangladesh strongly protested the instances of violation of her airspace by Myanmar military drones and helicopter on 10, 12 and 14 September 2017,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Bangladesh expressed deep concern at the repetition of such acts of provocation and demanded that Myanmar takes immediate measures to ensure that such violation of sovereignty does not occur again,” it added.

The ministry also warned that any more “provocative acts may lead to unwarranted consequences.”

Myanmar’s presidential spokesman responded on Saturday that there was no evidence of any trespassing, and that the matter was, however, being investigated.

Ties between the two neighbors soured after Myanmar’s military launched a deadly crackdown on the minority Rohingya community in Rakhine State, forcing hundreds of thousands of Muslims to flee to Bangladesh.

According to latest estimates, about 391,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed into Bangladesh since the violence erupted three weeks ago, making it one of the fastest growing refugee crises in recent years.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'

The Guardian reported Friday that Myanmar's  government has seized control of relief operations in Rakhine State.

The daily quoted senior Human Rights Watch officials as saying that the move could become permanent, putting an end to vital food and health programs run by international aid bodies.

“The humanitarian catastrophe” created by the Myanmar military “has been multiplied by the authorities’ unwillingness to provide access to humanitarian agencies,” said Philippe Bolopion, deputy director for global advocacy at Human Rights Watch.

“The United Nations, ASEAN, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation need to ramp up the pressure on Burma (Myanmar) and provide more assistance to Bangladesh to promptly help Rohingya and other displaced people,” he added.

A World Food Program report concluded two months ago that more than 80,000 children may need treatment for malnutrition, and that there had been a sharp rise in “extreme” food insecurity.

Bangladesh is struggling to provide relief for the huge influx of exhausted and hungry refugees, some 60 percent of whom are children.

SS