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Voter Turnout Likely to Exceed 55pc

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  Voter Turnout Likely to Exceed 55pc, Says Touhid Hossain Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has expressed optimism that voter turnout in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, scheduled for 12 February, will exceed 55 percent. He made the remarks on Sunday while responding to journalists’ questions at the closing session of an election-focused training workshop in Dhaka. The two-day programme was organised for members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB) with support from the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI). Asked whether the government could hold the election smoothly amid reports that Awami League leaders based in India were campaigning for a ‘No’ vote in the referendum, Touhid Hossain said many were advocating ‘No’ without fully understanding the issue. He reiterated that the government wants the ‘Yes’ vote to succeed. He said the government has spent more than a year preparing reform proposals through various commissions and i...
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Child Injured in Teknaf by Cross-Border Gunfire Amid Rakhine Clashes

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Child Injured in Teknaf by Cross-Border Gunfire Amid Rakhine Clashes

An 11-year-old Bangladeshi girl was injured by gunfire originating from Myanmar on Sunday morning amid ongoing clashes and airstrikes in Rakhine State. The incident occurred around 9:00 am near the Techi Bridge border area of Whykong union in Teknaf.

The injured child, Afnan, is the daughter of local resident Jasim Uddin. Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Alok Biswas confirmed that the girl was hit by a bullet and was being transferred to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment. He said earlier reports claiming the child had died were incorrect.

Initial information from the Khoyachang police outpost suggested that the child had been killed by cross-border gunfire and that another person had also been injured. As the news spread, angry residents staged a road blockade in protest.

Fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has intensified, with airstrikes, drone attacks, mortar fire and bomb explosions continuing unabated. Over the past three days, junta forces have stepped up air attacks on positions held by the Arakan Army around Maungdaw Township. At the same time, several Rohingya armed groups have been engaged in ground clashes with the Arakan Army, further escalating tensions along the border.

The impact of the fighting is being felt on the Bangladesh side, where powerful explosions across the border have caused tremors, shaking homes in Teknaf. Stray bullets fired from Myanmar have landed in residential areas, shrimp enclosures and the Naf River.

From Saturday evening until about 9:30 am on Sunday, intermittent but intense gunfights and mortar explosions were reported in the Bolibazar area of Rakhine State, opposite the Hoikyang border in Teknaf. The deafening blasts sent shockwaves through 11 villages in Hoikyang and Palongkhali union of Ukhia, leaving residents fearful.

Many residents spent the night awake, while others fled their homes to seek safety. In response, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard have increased surveillance and patrols along the Naf River and the land border.

Border sources said fighting continues across the Whykong border in Rakhine between the Arakan Army and several Rohingya armed groups, including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), and the Nabi Hossain group. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s junta forces are carrying out airstrikes and bombing raids targeting Arakan Army positions.

Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Islam, commander of the Ukhia-64 BGB battalion, said the situation is being closely monitored and that security along the border and the Naf River has been reinforced to prevent infiltration.

Whykong union Parishad member Sirajul Mostafa said residents have been living in fear for the past three days as gunfire and explosions continued day and night across the border, with stray bullets hitting homes and farmland.

Local fisherman Md Rafiq said he narrowly escaped injury after a bullet landed near his feet while he was standing on the embankment near the Techi Bridge area on Sunday morning.

A Rohingya refugee, Md Arman, who recently fled Rakhine State to a camp in Teknaf, said intense fighting is ongoing between Rohingya armed groups and the Arakan Army, with occasional airstrikes by junta forces, keeping the situation extremely tense.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Imamul Hafiz Nadim said local authorities are coordinating with the BGB over the cross-border gunfire and that residents in border areas are being advised through union councils to remain at a safe distance.

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