# Naf war

The Naf war was a military clash that occurred on 8 January 2000 between the Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh) and Myanmar's border security forces. The conflict lasted three days. The Bangladesh Rifles deployed 2,500 personnel, while Myanmar (then Burma) mobilized two divisions, totaling 25,000 troops, comprising both army and naval forces.

## Background

In 1966, during border demarcation negotiations, the then governments of Pakistan and Burma reached an agreement. According to the terms of this agreement, the central channel of the contemporary Naf River was designated as the boundary between the two countries. On Myanmar's side, the Naf River has twelve tributaries. As per the agreement, since the midpoint of the Naf River's channel was established as the international boundary, Myanmar was prohibited from undertaking any measures in those tributaries that could significantly alter the course of the Naf River. However, disregarding this agreement, Myanmar constructed dams on eleven out of the twelve tributaries by the year 2000. As a result, the primary flow of the Naf River shifted toward Bangladesh, causing approximately 2,500 acres of land to be lost from Bangladesh's territory.
In 2000, when Myanmar initiated plans to construct a dam on the final remaining tributary, several rounds of meetings were held between the border guards of both countries. It was feared that this dam could lead to erosion on the Bangladeshi side of the Naf River, potentially causing the disappearance of Teknaf town. Therefore, Bangladesh Rifles urged Myanmar not to construct the dam in accordance with the 1966 agreement. However, the Myanmar border guards responded with a letter in an inappropriate and unprofessional tone.
   From NASAKA HQ to BDR HQ Bangladesh. We are warning you to behave otherwise we will teach you lessons you will never forget.
When diplomatic discussions failed, Bangladesh Rifles decided to prevent the dam's construction through military means.

## History

From a military positioning standpoint, Bangladesh's military position was slightly lower than that of Myanmar. However, the Bangladesh Rifles identified ammunition supplies as a key factor in determining the potential outcome of the war.
According to a statement by then BDR Director General Major General A. L. M. Fazlur Rahman, it was revealed that he sent approximately twenty-five lakh rounds of ammunition to Cox's Bazar the night before the war started, ranging from mortar shells to various types of ammunition. Half of these were ordered to be stationed in Cox's Bazar, while the rest were sent to the main battlefield.
The main battle began on January 8, 2000, at 2:30 PM. On that day, General Fazlur Rahman was stationed in Dinajpur as part of his regular border inspection. From there, he initiated the operation by giving the command to start with the code word "Bismillah."
The battle took place in the Whykong Union of Teknaf, near the island of Totar. The first shots were fired by the BDR in front of a bend in the Naf River. In the sudden attack, around six hundred soldiers from Myanmar, along with workers constructing a dam, were killed. Reports of the Burmese military gathering and casualties came from intelligence sources. Just before the battle, several intelligence officers had been sent to Burma for information gathering. From them, it was learned that 25,000 soldiers of the Burmese regular army, under the command of a Major General and a Rear Admiral, were present on the battlefield. In contrast, Bangladesh’s military preparations were very inadequate, with only 2,500 regular soldiers. At that time, the ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, was in power in Myanmar. The chairman of this council, Senior General Than Shwe, was the head of Myanmar’s government and supreme commander of the armed forces.
On January 9, General Than Shwe summoned foreign journalists and ambassadors stationed in Rangoon and declared,
   We want Bangladesh and Myanmar to sit together without any preconditions and resolve the disputed issues.
He also sent a letter to Bangladesh, requesting the cessation of hostilities.

## Ceasefire

The war came to a halt by January 10 due to unilateral withdrawal from the war. Accepting Myanmar's unconditional proposal for talks, a high-level delegation traveled to Mongdu. The delegation, led by the then Joint Secretary (Political) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Janibul Haque, presented Bangladesh's proposals. As Myanmar failed to provide any typewriter, a handwritten memorandum was signed at the meeting, in which the Myanmar government promised to refrain from any attempt to construct a dam on the Naf River in the future.

## Aftermath

In terms of the extent and duration of the war, the Naf War was short-lived, but it had a long-lasting impact. After this war, regular meetings began to be held at the border guard forces' level. In recognition of the victory in the war, the then government awarded every soldier who participated in the war with a gallantry bronze medal called the "Operation Naf Medal." This was the first time in Bangladesh's history that a single victory was achieved in a war without the participation of the BDR army. Additionally, the rare achievement that the BDR gained in the Naf War was a zero death rate. Despite over six hundred people being killed from the Burmese side in the intense three-day battle, not a single life was lost in the BDR. Only a few were injured by gunshots.

## See more

* 2001 Bangladesh–India border clashes
* 2008 Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff
* 2015 Bangladesh–Arakan Army border clash