Ban Suspended, No Restriction On Traveling To Ruma

The Ruma Upazila administration of Bandarban issued a letter on April 9 with four instructions for tourists to travel to Ruma Upazila in Bandarban. Later on Friday (April 12), Ruma UNO Md. Didarul Alam (Routine Duties) issued another letter suspending the instructions. As a result, there is no bar or restriction on tourist travel to Bandarban.

“The instructions issued on April 9 have been suspended,” the directive said.

The instructions issued at first stated that “rooms cannot be rented out to tourists in any hotel during the operation of joint forces, no tourist guide can take tourists to the tourist center, jeeps cannot be taken to any tourist center, and do not go to any tourist center by boat”. 

Regarding tourist travel, Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shah Mojahid Uddin told the media on Friday that “there is no bar on tourist travel. Tourists can come to Bandarban from any district of the country”.

Meanwhile, although there is no bar on the travel of tourists in the district, those concerned have insisted on traveling to the tourist spots following the rules of law enforcement and local administration in the areas where the anti-terror operation of the joint forces is going on.

On April 2, there was a robbery at Sonali Bank in Ruma Upazila of Bandarban. Members of the armed organization Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) looted 14 weapons and ammunition from the village police station by the bank and the Ansar members in the barracks. Besides, bank manager Nizam Uddin was abducted by KNF armed terrorists during the robbery. Later, the bank manager was rescued in an operation.

The next day, April 3, robberies took place at Krishi and Sonali Bank in Thanchi upazila. At that time, the armed members of the terrorist group KNF looted Tk 17.45 lakh. Several cases were filed in Ruma and Thanchi police stations in this incident.

Later, 58 people, including 19 women, have been arrested and sent to the court in the operation of the joint forces.