Key facts
- Bangladesh will build a 108-kilometer fence along its border with Myanmar.
- The project aims to combat transnational crime, illegal entry, and smuggling.
- Advanced surveillance technology will be deployed along the border.
- Instability in Myanmar's Rakhine State is a key driver for the security initiative.
- The Arakan Army controls significant portions of the Myanmar border territory.
Bangladesh has decided to construct a 108-kilometer barbed-wire fence along its 271-kilometer border with Myanmar. The initiative, announced by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, aims to enhance national security, curb transnational crime, and strengthen sovereign control amid growing concerns over instability in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
The project is designed to prevent illegal infiltration, reduce border-related violence, and disrupt smuggling routes for narcotics and arms. Bangladesh plans to deploy advanced surveillance technologies, including thermal imaging scanners, night-vision binoculars, CCTV cameras, and drones.
Border analysts note that the Arakan Army exercises de facto control over much of the Myanmar side of the frontier. They suggest that the fence's effectiveness will depend on cooperation with the Arakan Army, as the Myanmar military junta has limited control along the border. Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees from Rakhine State.