BANGLADESH will establish two new army security posts near Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, as authorities step up efforts to tackle kidnappings, extortion and other criminal activity in and around the settlements.
Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the military’s 10th Division would set up the posts at Noakhali Para and Rangikhali, following a National Coordination Committee meeting at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday.
“Kidnappings and extortion are occurring regularly. To prevent such crimes, two posts under the Army's 10th Division will be established at Noakhali Para and Rangikhali,” Narinjara news reported him saying.
Ahmed said security concerns also included online gambling, drug and human trafficking, and the activities of armed groups operating within and around the refugee camps.
Authorities identified damaged fencing, breached boundary walls and non-functioning closed-circuit television cameras as weaknesses in the camps’ security infrastructure.
Plans include repairing barriers, installing solar-powered lighting at perimeter posts, expanding camera coverage and constructing additional watchtowers.
Joint anti-crime operations inside and outside the camps will remain under the operational command of a deputy inspector-general of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn).
The security framework involves multiple agencies, including the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, law enforcement agencies, Border Guard Bangladesh, the Coast Guard and the Armed Forces Division.
Under existing procedures, the 39th Infantry Division is designated to assume full security responsibility in the event of war or a national emergency. - October 11, 2026
