The second quarter of 2025 has seen security forces crack down on illegal activity. Frequent busts of trafficking activity and the landmark bust of a KNF camp on in early September has signaled increased security vigilance. As such, busts and arrests have also gone down in frequency and in terms of seized haul. The situation for November has evidently been safer comparatively, but mentionable details surrounding certain arrests and timber smuggling demand attention. This OSINT report details the findings regarding Bandarban’s security situation as of the month of November.
A) Busts:
On the 15th of November, a group of six Rohingya men were detained following a routine stop at a Bangladesh Army checkpost at the small town of Reicha. Located at the road used to approach Bandarban Sadar, Reicha is key for guarding against the inflow of contraband and bad actors over public road routes into Bandarban. It was noted that the six Rohingya men arrested were on their way to work illegally as laborers in Bandarban. It would appear that such arrangements have been active for quite a long while, enabling Rohingyas to find work outside of camps that does not involve banditry or trafficking work.
Bandarban Sadar OC Masud Pervez has been quoted by the The Daily Star as stating that there are ‘thousands’ of such Rohingyas actively engaged in labor work in Bandarban, with many engaged in construction work for infrastructure and in rubber production. As of the time of writing, there is nothing to indicate that those apprehended had been involved in narcotics or arms trafficking. If anything, the incident underscores the risks associated with the further impoverishment of Rohingya refugees, and further shutting down avenues of legitimate work. In light of the reduction of food and material aid to Rohingya refugees by international organizations, the event is a reflection of prevailing insecurities. [The Daily Star Bangla]
A citizen of Myanmar was detained in Sonaichhari on the 17th of November. Sumiang Tanchangya, allegedly from near Sittwe. It must be noted that the location of “Kalardeba Maungdaw Akyab” mentioned by Ittefaq in its report of his arrest is rather inaccurate and leads to more questions than answers. The ancestral lands of the Tanchangya people in Myanmar are located further up north in Myanmar’s Chin state, though it might still be possible that he is officially a resident of an address closer to Sittwe. Alternatively, he may be a resident of the small town of Kalarua in Maungdaw district.
Upon questioning, Sumiang Tanchangya allegedly admitted to being engaged in narcotics trafficking with the help of relatives, who are also ethnic Tanchangya. He also stated that such operatives have been active for a long while, engaging in cross-border drug trafficking activities. Cox’s Bazar News reporting on the same incident published further information indicating that Sumiang Tanchangya’s contraband was being sold by him on behalf of Arakan Army, with the proceeds returned. Allegedly, he also revealed that he had two accomplices who were able to flee with contraband that they were carrying. [Ittefaq, Cox’s Bazar News]
Regardless of the validity of the information reported by Cox’s Bazar News, this arrest echoes accusations of drug trafficking made by BGB officers against the Arakan Army. Considering that the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region has long been an active drug trafficking hotspot, it would make sense for any militant outfit in the region and in Myanmar’s Arakan to engage in drug trafficking to support themselves.
Smaller-profile arrests of individual traffickers of assorted drugs and illegal moonshine by police units are also mentionable, with that of the moonshine trafficker being significant as to the state of moonshine production in Bandarban. Various recipes for moonshine originating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have reached markets outside the tracts, Chittagong, and Dhaka in previous years. It may be understood as a steadily booming commodity within the underground Bangladeshi liquor market. Its relation with the local drug trade is to be watched out for. [Bangladesh Pratidin]
Dhaka Tribune reported on the 23rd of November that timber smuggling continues to be active in Bandarban. The report focused on Galengya union in Ruma, where timber smugglers fell trees and evade enforcement allegedly through the falsification of permits and associated paperwork. The network appears to be organized with significant complication, as a report by The Daily Star published in 2015 details a network consisting of motor vehicles and boats that are adept at navigating Bandarban’s difficult pathways of travel. Forged or improperly secured permits speak to corruption and negligence among forestry officials responsible for the region. The ultimate cost of such impunity is the steady loss of biodiversity, with entire hillsides reportedly being left barren. [Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Star]
The 23rd of November saw the capture of five Myanmar nationals near the Ghumdhum border. The detainees were found to have been Tatmadaw servicemen, with four serving in the Border Guard Police (BGP) and one serving in the Tatmadaw – Kyi (Army). They were imprisoned the next day under the provisions of Section 14 of the Foreigners Act 1946. [bdnews24]
Since they are Tatmadaw personnel, it stands to reason that they were left stranded following the Battle of Maungdaw that came to an end in December 2024 with a decisive victory for the Arakan Army. Having long shed their military fatigues, the arrested personnel were found in civilian clothing. Further details regarding the circumstances of their entry into Bangladesh and how they have evaded capture for so long remain unclear. The prompt imprisonment of these Tatmadaw personnel under the Foreigners Act in contrast to the standard procedure of making arrangements for their repatriation back to Myanmar is also unusual. It remains to be seen whether or not authorities divulge more information related to these detainees. [The Daily Star]
B) Demonstrations & Protests
28th of October witnessed demonstrations held by Buddhist Mro and Tanchangya residents of Alikadam. They accuse the administration of Lama upazila of inaction regarding land grabbing and encroachment in tracts of land situated in the Maraintang mouza. Maraintang has recently been home to development projects for resorts, started through what some locals have termed as dishonest means and forgery. It must still be noted that partisan news outlet Hill Voice in its report about Maraintang has taken care to insinuate that a dispute exists. The outlet has quoted an individual associated with the building projects as having stated that no illegal occupation had taken place.
It remains a sensitive topic that could be capitalized upon for further unrest, as the protestors in Alikadam claim that Maraintang is a location holding significance for the Buddhist faith of the locals. Accusations against administrative structures of collusion with land grabbers or any related illegal activity leading to land disputes are to be monitored further. DBC News’ Facebook post about its video report appears to be closelyindicative of the exact nature of the dispute and unrest surrounding Maraintang. In the video, placards demanding protection on the basis of the CHT Peace Accord are visible. The potential for communal agitation surrounding the issue ought not to be ignored. [DBC News – Facebook]
As reported by Kaler Kontho and Bangladesh Pratidin, a flash procession was carried out by Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) activists in the small town of Lama on the 13th of November. Indeed, 13th November was the date when the date of the delivery of the trial verdicts of Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzman Khan Kamal, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun were announced. The procession seems to have been carried out in coordination with other BAL units demonstrating elsewhere in the country, except it began in the late night of the 13th. A fire was also set simultaneously at a point adjacent to a marketplace, prompting a police response. [Kaler Kontho, Bangladesh Pratidin]
It was determined that the procession saw 20 to 25 participants, with each carrying a flaming torch characteristic of such processions. It would appear that nothing much came of the event and the arrest, and BAL activities ostensibly died down in the region. Yet, former BAL activists and leaders are known to have remained active in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, with the likes of Kazi Md. Mojibur Rahman leading the Parbattya Chattogram Nagorik Parishad or Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizens’ Council. This organization’s activities and mission statement are combative with those of other regional organizations, leaving potential for greater episodes of confrontation.
A string for political agitation and unrest may also be found within nomination disputes for the BNP, as a protest was staged by the supporters of BNP member secretary Jabed Reza, who did not receive a nomination for the Bandarban-300 constituency. This parliamentary constituency encompasses the entirety of Bandarban district and as such, competition for it has always been sensitive. The nomination ultimately went to Saching Prue Jerry, who happens to be a Marma chieftain like his father Maung Shwe Prue Chowdhury, whose political career involved BAKSAL and Jatiya Party. Saching Prue has made a point in favor of BNP by presenting the party’s 31-point programme in the Mro language. He was addressing a gathering primarily of ethnic Mro citizens at the Thanchi High School grounds.
Nevertheless, opposition to Saching Prue Jerry’s nomination stems from the fact that he is old and Jabed Reza’s own consistent activist credentials throughout the rule of the BAL regime. Indeed, Jabed Reza used to be the BNP’s district unit general secretary, making him a prime target for local BAL activists who rallied around party heavyweight Bir Bahadur U Shwe Shing. He was the Minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in Sheikh Hasina’s last cabinet and is currently barred from leaving Bangladesh pending the completion of corruption investigations.
Despite the tensions surrounding nominations, the demonstration remained peaceful. This is unlike elsewhere in Chittagong and the rest of the country where disputes surrounding MP nominations amongst BNP members manifested in road closures, violent infighting, and sabotage. Further agitation in Bandarban ought to be watched out for as the elections approach.
It would also appear that Bandarban continues to be dangerous for toursm, as on the 14h of November, a 24-year old tourist named Iqbal Hossain went missing at the Nafakhum waterfall in Thanchi. According to Mamun Rashid, general secretary of the Thanchi Guide Association, Iqbal Hossain travelled in a group of 17 from Demra. The group neither took the obligatory travel clearance nor registered themselves at the tourist information centre before proceeding to Nafakhum, where cellular services are unreachable.
The journey to Nafakhum is quite lengthy and remote, consisting of a two-hour boat trip from Thanchi to Remakri Bazar and a further two hours of trekking from Remakri Bazar to Nafakhum. Since 2022, a travel ban to the area has been in force in response to KNF activity. Judging from the fact that KNF has a history of bank robberies and holding people for ransom, it would not be unrealistic to assume KNF activity in this case. At the time of writing however, investigations are ongoing. [bdnews24]
Verification Note: Information is 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. Information is then analyzed and interpreted to come to conclusions. Maps and overlays are created using QGIS and Google My Maps.
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.