Myanmar Crisis: Explosions and gunfire rock Teknaf

The sounds of gunfire and explosives awoke the residents of Balukhali in Whykong, Teknaf, on Tuesday morning.

According to Whykong Union Parishad member Sirajul Mostafa, residents close to the border are once again experiencing fear as a result of the recent bout of what looks to be fierce fighting in Myanmar.

According to him, the noises were audible from 7:00 am to 10:00 am. Sound of gunfire was heard in several place of the Teknaf Upazila till 3pm.

Locals reported hearing intermittent gunfire over the border for the previous four to five days. They said those were nothing like the events of yesterday morning.

According to Palangkhali Union chairman Gafur Chowdhury, there were some distant gunshots coming from within Myanmar yesterday, but other than that, everything was rather quiet along the border.

Around midday, he said, black smoke was visible within Myanmar.

"Out of fear, farmers did not tend to their fields and fishermen did not go out to fish," he stated.