Dhaka: Bangladesh will not allow anybody to enter its territory illegally as any trespass or influx is a burden for a country, says newly appointed director general of (DG) Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Maj Gen Abul Hossain.

“Any kind of trespass or influx is a burden for a country. The militant issue added to this process. So, it’s not clear who is entering and how,” he told news agency UNB in an interview at the BGB headquarters in Dhaka on Sunday.

Terming Rohingya an international issue, Maj Gen Hossain said Bangladesh has already been hosting a large number of Rohingya refugees and managing them has also become a problem. 

“We’re trying to manage our border efficiently so that any illegal intrusion, including the entry of militants and terrorists are prevented,” he said adding that the BGB has been working in this regard as a secure border is its priority.

On Friday, the UNHCR appealed to the government of Bangladesh to keep its border with Myanmar ‘open’ and allow safe passage to any civilians from Myanmar fleeing violence.

Over 100 Rohingyas, including women and children, were prevented from entering Bangladesh territory through the Naf River as the group attempted to escape violence in Myanmar over the last couple of days. 

Talking about challenges ahead, Maj Gen Hossain said keeping border secure, preventing trespass and smuggling of contraband, including drugs, are the major challenges he wants to address.

He said the BGB will work to further modernise the border management system in a coordinated way. “We keep working to make the border foolproof.” 

The BGB chief said decisions have been taken to install modern scanners in all land ports to manage the border more efficiently. “Smuggling will come down significantly, if not zero level, if we can install more equipment in the coming days,” he added.

On piracy in the Sundarbans area, the BGB Chief said they are continuing their joint efforts to prevent piracy in that particular area. “We’ve some limitations and we need to set up 4-5 floating border outposts (BOP). So far, we’ve set up one BOP while another one is under process.”