KALADAN NEWS

Re-open an Old Transit Point between Burma-Bangladesh Border

Teknaf, May 7: Burma- Bangladesh old transit point Ngakura-Nhila is going to be re-opened after 2 years and 8 months closed, according to our source.

On 3^rd of May 2004, the Bangladeshi local people sought the co-operation from Deputy Communication Minister of Bangladesh Al-haj Salauddin Ahmed (MP) and higher authorities to re-open the said transit point as to stop illegal border trades and to control national revenue, he further added.

This transit point was set up in 1980 after mass exodus of Rohingya refugees in 1978 and after bilateral talks between Gen. Ne Win, the former dictator of Burma and Gen. Ziaur Rahman, the former President of Bangladesh.

In September 2001, the SPDC authorities had stopped this transit point and started it a little bit later but the Bangladesh authorities closed it again for more than 2 years while the other 2 transit points from “Taungbro-Balukhali” and “Maungdaw-Teknaf” were continued. From all the transit points, people from both countries could visit into each country for every 8 hours.

When asked a border trader in Teknaf, he said, “Though the Rohingya people have less access than Rakhaing people for border trade in Arakan, both people need to re-open this transit point, like Bangladesh bordering people earning money for supporting their families through transit points as most of them depend on border trade, fishing and agriculture.” # #

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