The border gates between the two countries are said to have reopened after meetings between the Burmese border security force Nasaka and Border Guard Bangladesh as the tense situation on the Burmese side has started to calm.

36 Bangladeshi travelers are said to have visited Maungdaw while 49 Burmese have done so on the first day of border reopening.

There are two types of passports allowed for cross-border travel between the two countries—one is for one week and another is for one day. Over stays are fined per day on both sides.

According to sources on both sides of the border, Bangladesh has suffered from enormous losses in revenues while many cross-border traders of Burma have ruined their businesses due to the unrest and long-term border closure.

A trader from Teknaf said the transit-trade between the two countries is still very low because of the lost confidence amongst the traders on both sides though the borders have been already reopened.

“The borders have already been opened since the day before yesterday and I have found people from both sides are travelling across the borders. But the number of cargo-boats coming from the Burmese side is very few. It is mainly because the traders across the borders have lost their confidence in each other after the unrest”, said the trader.

He said that the traders are expecting their trade will become normal soon.