The local administrations have indefinitely closed Bandarban’s Ruma and Roangchhari for tourists amid security concerns over reports of Islamist militants harboured by tribal separatists in the hill tracts, bdnews24.com reports.
Mamun Shibli, the chief executive, or UNO, of Ruma Upazila administration, said on Monday they took the decision considering the “overall situation”.
Formal notices will be published on Tuesday, he said.
Roangchhari Upazila’s chief executive Khorshed Alam Chowdhury declined to reveal the reason behind the decision. “It’s basically for security,” he said.
The guides have been asked to bring all the tourists back by Tuesday, cancelling plans to travel further into the hill tracts.
After arresting a dozen of suspected Islamist militants, including several runaway youths, the Rapid Action Battalion said they belong to a new group harboured by separatists in the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
RAB also said a joint operation of the security forces was ongoing to catch the militants who took training in the hill tracts with the help of the separatists – a rare nexus that triggered concerns over domestic and regional security.
The law enforcers did not reveal the names of the seperatist groups sheltering Islamist militants, but some believe the Kuki-Chin National Front or KNF, also known as the Bawm Party, is involved with the Islamist militants. The new seperatist group turned heads after claiming a murder in June on their Facebook page.