Draft:Naf War.
| Naf War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bangladesh (BDR) | Myanmar Border Guard Force | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman | General Than Shwe | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2500 | 25000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 0 killed | 600 killed | ||||||
Naf War was a conflict that took place on January 8, 2000, between the Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh) and the Myanmar Border Guard Force. The war lasted for three days. The Bangladesh Rifles faced two divisions of Myanmar's (then Burma's) army and navy, totaling 25,000 soldiers.
Background
[edit]In 1966, during the border settlement, the governments of Pakistan and Burma reached an agreement. According to this agreement, the portion of the Naf River’s channel was defined as the border between the two countries. Myanmar has twelve branches of the Naf River. Since the agreement stipulated that the middle part of the Naf River’s channel was to be recognized as the international border, Myanmar could not take any action that would significantly alter the course of the river. However, Myanmar ignored this agreement and constructed dams on eleven of the twelve rivers by the year 2000. This caused the main flow of the Naf River to shift towards Bangladesh, resulting in the loss of about 2500 acres of land from Bangladesh’s territory.
In 2000, when Myanmar attempted to build a dam on the last branch, several meetings were held between the border guards of both countries. Concerns were raised that the dam could cause erosion in the Bangladesh portion of the Naf River, potentially leading to the disappearance of town of Teknaf. The Bangladesh Rifles requested Myanmar to refrain from constructing the dam in accordance with the 1966 agreement. Myanmar's border guards responded rudely and unprofessionally, stating:
"From NASAKA HQ to BDR HQ Bangladesh. We are warning you to behave otherwise we will teach you lessons you will never forget."
When diplomatic discussions failed, the Bangladesh Rifles decided to prevent the dam's construction using military force.
History
[edit]Militarily, Bangladesh's position was slightly lower than Myanmar's. However, the Bangladesh Rifles identified the availability of ammunition as a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the potential war.
According to statements by the then BDR Director General Major General A. L. M. Fazlur Rahman, he sent various types of ammunition, including mortars, totaling twenty-five lakh rounds to Cox's Bazar the night before the war began. Half of this was ordered to be kept in Cox's Bazar, while the rest was sent to the main battlefield.
The main battle began on January 8, 2000, at 2:30 PM. General Fazlur Rahman was stationed in Dinajpur as part of a routine border inspection. From there, he issued an order to start the operation using a code word "Bismillah."
The battle took place in the Hwaikyong Union area near Tota Island in Teknaf. The BDR initiated the first shots in front of a bend in the Naf River. The surprise attack resulted in the death of around six hundred Burmese soldiers and construction workers. Information about the gathering of Burmese troops and casualties was obtained from intelligence sources. Prior to the battle, several intelligence agents were sent to Burma to collect information. They reported that 25,000 regular Burmese troops were present in the battlefield under a major general and a rear admiral. In contrast, Bangladesh’s military preparation was very inadequate (only 2500 regular troops) at that time, with the ruling military junta known as the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar. The chairman of this council, Senior General Than Shwe, was the head of the Myanmar government and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
On January 9, General Than Shwe summoned foreign journalists and ambassadors in Yangon and announced:
"We want Bangladesh and us to sit together for discussions without any preconditions to resolve the disputes."
He also sent a letter to Bangladesh requesting a halt to the attack.
Ceasefire
[edit]The war ended unilaterally on January 10. Accepting Burma's unconditional proposal for talks, a high-level delegation went to Maungdaw. Led by the then Joint Secretary (Political) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Janibul Haque, the delegation presented Bangladesh's proposals. Since Myanmar did not provide a typewriter, a handwritten agreement was signed during the meeting, in which the Myanmar government pledged to refrain from constructing any dams on the Naf River in the future.
Aftermath
[edit]Although the Naf War was short in duration, it had a long-term impact. After the war, regular meetings between border guard forces began. As a recognition of the victory, the then government awarded each soldier who participated in the war the "Operation Naf Medal," a bravery bronze medal. This was the first time Bangladesh achieved a singular victory in a war without the participation of the BDR. Additionally, the most rare achievement of the BDR in the Naf War was a zero casualty rate. Despite the loss of over six hundred Burmese personnel in the intense three-day battle, there were no casualties in the BDR; only a few were wounded by gunfire.