Bangladesh Army Chief rejects proposal of ‘humanitarian corridor’ to Myanmar saying “no bloody corridor business”, asserts interim govt can’t handover a port to foreign entity

Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman has reiterated his opposition to the proposed ‘humanitarian corridor’ to Myanmar, saying there will be “no bloody corridor business”. He also made it clear that the unelected interim govt led by Muhammad Yunus can’t take major decisions like the corridor or handing over a port to a foreign country.

Notably, the United Nations has requested the Bangladesh for a corridor through the country to Myanmar’s Rakhine state to deliver aid material. The region is facing shortages of foods and other essential items after rebel Arakan Army took control of the region. The Arakan Army, which serves as the military wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA), gained full control over the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in December 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during his recent visit to Bangladesh, called for establishing the corridor through the country to deliver aid to Rakhine State.

The interim govt of Bangladesh had agreed in principle to the UN proposal for the corridor. Last month, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said that the govt has agreed in principle to the proposal, subject to certain conditions.  However, several political parties opposed the move, saying any such decision must be taken only after discussion with all political parties. Bangladesh Nationalist Party strongly opposed the proposal, saying they don’t want to become another Gaza.

Addressing officers at the Army Head Quarters (AHQ) in Dhaka in Wednesday, General Waker-Uz-Zaman stated that there will be no Humanitarian Corridor, nor any port allotted to any foreigners till an elected government comes to power in the country. He added that Bangladesh Army will not allow anything that will affect the sovereignty and geographical stability of the country, attracting huge applause from the officers.

The army chief expressed concerns that the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government was taking decisions while keeping the country’s Armed Forces in the dark. Using very strong language while talking about the proposal of the corridor, General Waker-uz-Zaman said that there will be “no bloody corridor business”. 

He also said that the elections in the country must be held by December this year, and the interim govt can’t determine the country’s course, only an elected government can do so. He said that an elected government should be in power by January 1, 2026 after concluding “free and fair” polls, following which the army will return to the barracks.

The general said that there are some “foreigners” in the interim government who are acting irresponsibly and will go back to their country when things go wrong. He was evidently talking about Khalilur Rahman, the first NSA of Bangladesh and a resident of USA, who has been at loggerhead with the army chief since his appointment to the position last year. Notably, Khalilur Rahman has been pushing for the Myanmar corridor. However, recently Rahman has clarified that the govt has not taken any decision on the corridor.

Amid the calls for massive amendments to the constitution, he said that any large-scale changes are not desirable.

Zaman further added that decisions like allotting a port to foreigners must be taken by an elected govt, nut the interim govt. His comments seem to be over the Interim govt’s proposal to hand over the operations of a terminal of the Chittagong port to foreign entities.

Notably, the Yunus govt has decided to hand over the operations of a New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port to a foreign operator. The move was initially introduced under the previous Awami League government, and the current administration is actively considering it. Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said that the administration is in favour of bringing in a foreign operator to manage the terminal.

The move is being strongly objected by several parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. Earlier this month, the 12-party alliance said that under no circumstances should the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) be handed over, nor should the Chattogram Port be leased to foreign entities.

The political parties argue that bringing a foreign operator to run an already built port is not necessary, saying foreign investment is welcome only for greenfield projects. They also assert that the interim government has no authority to make such a major decision related to national interest unilaterally.

The 950-metre-long NCT of the port has five jetties — four for ocean-going vessels and one for smaller ships on inland routes. At present, local firm Saif Powertec Ltd has been running four jetties.

In another important comment, General Waker-Uz-Zaman that the “Army will no longer tolerate mob violence or lawlessness”, pointing out to prevailing lawlessness and protest going violent in the country.

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