Bandarban district administration has further extended the temporary ban on tourism in Ruma and Rowangchhari upazilas till November 20 as part of high security measures.
A public notice in this regard was issued from Bandarban Deputy Commissioner’s office on Wednesday upon receiving a letter from Bandarban Cantonment.
From now on, apart from Ruma and Rowangchari in the district, there are no restrictions on tourist travel in other five upazilas.
According to a memorandum signed by Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Yasmin Parvin Tibriji, in light of a letter issued by Headquarters Bandarban Region, Bandarban Sena Nibas on November 16, the travel of local and foreign tourists to Ruma and Rowangchari was considered.
Earlier on October 20, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 10 suspected militants and separatists along with a large cache of firearms and ammunition after conducting an operation in the remote areas of Bandarban and Rangamati. The arrestees include seven members of the newly formed militant outfit Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and three of the separatist organization Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
Besides, a Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) officer was killed and a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) member was injured during a clash with drug peddlers in Bandarban’s Tombru border area on Monday.
The martyred officer was a Bangladesh Air Force official, said a press release by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The shootout took place when the members of the DGFI and the RAB conducted a joint anti-drug drive in Tombru area.
Again, on Monday, another Rohingya woman was killed while the RAB official was reportedly injured during an infighting between security forces and Rohingya insurgent groups in Konapara Rohingya camp, no man’s land in Naikhyangchhari of Bandarban.
Each winter, thousands of tourists visit the area, but because of the ban, more than 200 hotels, motels, and entertainment venues in the area are now deserted, causing financial losses to the district’s tourism entrepreneurs.
