Direct on-the-ground security and safety at the Naf border region are responsibilities held by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG). Both paramilitary forces are empowered by the Ministry of Home Affairs to carry out law enforcement duties where they are deployed. They are also empowered to resist armed threats that come their way. Units responsible for the Naf border region are tasked with establishing a constant watch over the locale to intercept, investigate, and counter serious criminal and security incidents within Teknaf and the border line over the Naf river.
Border Guard Bangladesh
The BGB as a whole is organized as a light infantry force with select armored assets, usually armored personnel carriers. The force is authorized by the Border Guards Bangladesh Act 2010 to maintain a constant watch for border security at all times and carry out law enforcement duties as required and directed by the government.
Carrying on the functions of its previous incarnation, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), a typical BGB platoon is tasked with carrying out patrols as its basic function at the border. These patrols go through a pre-determined route and at a set time cadence. A BGB battalion responsible for a specific section of the border maintains a network of border outposts (BOPs) from which a constant scanline can be maintained to look out for suspicious movements. BOPs and patrols facing the Myanmar border are equipped with night-vision cameras and drones to improve detection capabilities and make it easier to detect suspicious movements during dark hours.
BOPs may also be established in the interior to serve as a base of operations. The Hnila BOP is an example of such. For the Teknaf area as a whole, the BGB maintains several BOPs not only to provide watch over the border areas but also to execute busts within built-up areas and Teknaf’s hilly terrain to the north. For the Teknaf region as a whole, BGB’s 2nd Battalion and the recently raised 64th Battalion are primarily responsible. For incidents occurring further upstream of the Naf near Bandarban, formations such as the 11th Battalion based in Naikhyongchari may arrive to assist.
Small patrol boats are also deployed by BGB battalions to patrol the river up and down. This riverine patrol element enables BGB commanders to be kept constantly aware of any incursions or incidents across the river. It also makes them capable of responding effectively to acts of piracy. [Dhaka Tribune]
In general, BGB troopers serve as the first line of defense against any armed incursions originating from the other side of the border. They are tasked with responding according to the tactical situation. Reinforcements may be called in depending on the scale of escalation and operational needs. If it is deemed that the situation calls for it, the Army may arrive to take strategic command of the area, particularly during times of war when the BGB will be answerable to the Ministry of Defense. The BGB is therefore directly responsible for the following in Teknaf and the Naf river region:
Patrolling: Going through an area at regular intervals to ensure security and to be able to immediately respond to any threats. Conducted primarily on foot, but drones and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) may also be used. ATVs are suited for the kind of muddy and sandy roads that exist in Teknaf [Daily Sun]. For patrols along the Naf river, a fleet of patrol boats and high-speed interceptors with light machine gun (LMG) emplacements is also maintained.
Border overwatch and surveillance: With a combination of static border outposts (BOPs), bunkers, and machine gun nests, BGB troopers maintain constant overwatch across the border. Surveillance systems consisting of night vision cameras and drones further help the BGB cut through the fog. Further overwatch is provided from the BGB headquarters in Pilkhana, which has access to live surveillance feeds from connected border outposts. [Daily Star, Jagonews24]
Arrest drives and disrupting trafficking networks: Under the auspices of its law enforcement mandate, the BGB is responsible for carrying out arrest drives near border regions to disrupt illicit trade. These trafficking and smuggling networks are typically cross-border in their operations and therefore come under the purview of the BGB on land. Actions against these individuals are to be undertaken jointly with other law enforcement forces such as the Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion (BGB) or the Army, when they are ordained with magistracy powers or given law enforcement duties through any other legal mechanism.
Managing refugee inflows: As the entry of masses of refugees through the borders of Bangladesh is a security issue, the BGB is responsible for managing their safe entry or repatriation based on the orders issued. BGB troopers are instrumental in making sure that entering refugees are not armed or have come as agent provocateurs. They are also responsible for preventing them from being further victimized upon entry into Bangladeshi territory before being settled into camps, where different police units are primarily responsible for security.
For a section of Bangladesh’s border regions as active as Teknaf and the Naf river area, some restrictions constrain the BGB. They are explained accordingly:
Strict territorial restrictions: With a mandate strictly limited to Bangladeshi territory only, the BGB cannot under any circumstances cross the border to pursue and engage targets, regardless of whether de facto sovereignty is maintained by Myanmar in those sections of their territory. They may only do so under specific bilateral agreements.
Fire support dependency: The BGB lacks heavy artillery or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and is instead dependent on the Army to provide them with such assistance in the event of large-scale armed confrontations. The necessity has not arisen so far, but the lack of organic fire support systems may constrain defensive planning.
Challenging terrain and vulnerability to stray gunfire: Mobility in Teknaf and Bandarban is heavily constrained due to a combination of rough mountainous terrain and the typical features of the Bangladeshi monsoon, such as mud and flooding [Daily Observer]. While the induction of ATVs helps alleviate some of the limitations, the challenges remain. The location of many BOPs also leaves troopers vulnerable to stray gunfire from Myanmar, and an adequate response may not be returned due to legal and political constraints.
Auxiliary role: In peacetime, anti-narcotics operations in the interior on the part of the BGB are made possible only through cooperation with local police units and specific legal instruments. While it prevents a total overlap of responsibilities between the BGB and the police, it may slow operations down. During wartime, the BGB is not allowed to independently conduct military offensives. Its role is to hold border regions until Army units arrive to take operational command.
River patrol difficulties: The winding course of the river in its upstream sections and the fact that international borders cut through its middle make patrols using BGB’s own boats and interceptors difficult. Maintaining an adequate regularity in the patrols may also often be difficult.
Bangladesh Coast Guard
The Bangladesh Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement force operating a fleet of lightly-armed patrol vessels and fast interceptors. It is governed by the Bangladesh Coast Guard Act 1994 and was later expanded by updated legislation in 2016. It was formed to relieve the Bangladesh Navy of riverine and inshore law enforcement duties. Generally, the Coast Guard is empowered to ensure security in Bangladeshi territorial waters, both oceanic and riverine.
Teknaf and the Naf river as a whole are under the responsibility of the ‘East’ zonal command of the Coast Guard, with stations located directly in Teknaf, Inani, St. Martins, and Himchori able to respond to incidents in the area. Patrols run by the Coast Guard typically consist of a patrol vessel or multiple depending on the area of operations, along with a contingent of armed guardsmen transported on the vessels.
The Coast Guard maintains in-shore patrol vessels (IPVs) for work in littoral zones and off-shore patrol vessels (OPVs) for going into deeper waters. They also maintain small fast patrol boats and interceptors to provide a high-speed solution to respond to incidents on the water. These smaller patrol boats can be effectively used to go up and down the Naf river in conjunction with BGB’s own patrol boats. Larger vessels carry the Oerlikon 25 mm cannon for countering hostile vessels, while smaller patrol boats may have 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine guns to fend off hostile footmobiles.
The Coast Guard is the force responsible for returning illegal entrants who enter Bangladesh’s territorial seas and deterring foreigners from fishing and extracting resources from the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Guardsmen are also empowered to carry out arrests and drives in the interior of Teknaf in conjunction with local police and BGB units.
Unlike the BGB, however, the Coast Guard is not tasked with exercising armed response to cross-border responsibilities as the first line of defence. It is far more strictly a law enforcement force which is mandated to provide support to the Navy during times of war or emergency. Guardsmen are still armed with BD-08 (Type 81) assault rifles and other assorted small arms, and body armor sets to help them carry out risky trafficking busts.
The typical image of the guardsman in Teknaf is that of marine infantry, armed and dressed in a manner not too dissimilar from members of the BGB. Similar to how officers of the BGB are seconded from the Army, officers commanding Coast Guard formations are seconded from the Navy. In the near future, it is expected that the Coast Guard will field a dedicated aviation wing consisting of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Bell 212 helicopters deployed for Coast Guard operations are maintained by the Bangladesh Air Force. Thus, the establishment and expansion of a dedicated aviation wing would greatly improve capabilities in Teknaf and St. Martin’s. [Prothom Alo]
Therefore, the responsibilities carried out by the Bangladesh Coast Guard in the Teknaf region can be summed up into the following:
Maritime patrolling and overwatch: Maintaining a constant watch over ocean and riverine territories that are under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh. Conducted using patrol craft of various types and sizes based on the location, with armed guardsmen to put ‘boots on the ground’ and carry out arrests.
Maritime law enforcement and counter-smuggling: Among the Coast Guard’s primary peacetime roles. The force is tasked with the prevention of cross-border smuggling operations and preventing law-breaking on the high seas. It also extends to the protection of Bangladesh’s maritime boundaries and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Arrest drives and anti-syndicate operations inland are executed in conjunction with the BGB and Bangladesh Police, while operations at sea are often executed alongside the Navy. [Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha]
Search and rescue operations (SAR) and disaster relief: Recovery of Bangladeshi citizens from abductions across the Naf is one of the premier responsibilities of BCG units responsible for the Teknaf area. Therefore, it is a common search and rescue function of the force there. Search and rescue operations are also carried out in the aftermath of natural disasters or in deeper seas, along with disaster relief operations. [Bangladesh Coast Guard News Bulletin]
Civilian vessel escort: Due to the border line cutting through the middle of the Naf river, Coast Guard vessels are often tasked with escorting civilian vessels en route to St. Martin’s to prevent them from crossing into the territorial borders of Myanmar. [The Business Standard]
While the Bangladesh Coast Guard is typically made responsible for a lot, here are the limitations faced by the force:
Strict territorial restrictions: The Coast Guard is strictly prohibited from crossing Bangladeshi territorial boundaries for any reason whatsoever, running into problems similar to those faced by the BGB in this regard.
Lightly armed: Even larger vessels such as the offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), which are secondhand craft that used to be heavily-armed corvettes, do not maintain anything more powerful than Oerlikon KBA 25mm guns. This 25mm gun by itself is not an example of dedicated ship armament. While the Coast Guard is not intended to be the first line of naval defense against an aggressor, the lack of heavier weaponry and anti-ship capabilities is striking.
Limited personnel: The force had a personnel strength of 3,329 as of 2016 [Dhaka Tribune Archive]. Recent estimates may place the number at 5,000. That is still straining when it comes to maintaining security over 700 kilometers of coastline. Because of this, the desired cadence of patrols may not be achieved in the Teknaf region.
Auxiliary role: The Coast Guard is dependent on the Navy for most operations larger than simple trafficking busts near Coast Guard stations, and may require logistical backing and reinforcements from the Navy when intercepting targets far from Bangladesh’s coastline. Combined with the force having a limited personnel size, the problem of dependency is deepened.
Despite the limitations faced by both the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Border Guard Bangladesh, neither of the two forces has yet been tested beyond breaking point in Teknaf. With the worsening of the security situation in Arakan and renewed refugee flows into Bangladesh, however, their limitations warrant discussion.
Verification Note: Information sourced from and corroborated from government websites, documents, and news sources. Sources are carefully weighed for authenticity, and sources making superfluous claims without evidence are discarded. All pieces of information presented are publicly available, and analytical assumptions are made accordingly.
Fatin Anwar is an Associate Analyst at Bangladesh Defence Journal. He is responsible for in-depth research and analysis in combination with OSINT tools/techniques. A graduate of geography from the University of Dhaka, he had previously spent years working as a freelance writer specializing in research-heavy pieces related to geopolitics and military history.