Mystery of Bandarban travel bans: Who’s pulling the strings?

Bandarban scenic beauty. UNB

By Nakib Mahmud 

Bandarban, Jul 11 -The picturesque district of Bandarban, where clouds, hills, rivers and waterfalls meet, has long been a popular destination for tourists from across Bangladesh. 

But a growing security concern stemming from the emergence of a new armed group, the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), has led to repeated travel bans over recent years, severely impacting the local tourism industry.

Bandarban, one of the three hill districts in the country, is bordered by Cox’s Bazar to the southwest, Chattogram to the northwest, Rangamati to the north and Myanmar to the east.

A Timeline of Restrictions

Just as the district was recovering from the economic blows of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21, KNF’s increasing activity prompted the local administration to impose an indefinite travel ban on Ruma and Rowangchhari upazilas from October 18, 2022.

Later, Thanchi and Alikadam upazilas also faced similar restrictions. 

The administration then alternated between lifting and reimposing bans across different upazilas, with extensions issued several times.

On February 20, 2023, travel restrictions in Ruma, Rowangchhari and Thanchi were briefly lifted, only to be reinstated on March 16 of the same year. 

A fresh ban on travel to Bandarban was imposed on 8 October 2024. 

Although the restriction was lifted in four of the district's seven upazilas on 6 November, Ruma, Rowangchhari and Thanchi remained off-limits.

As of February 11 this year, the ban on Devtakhum in Rowangchhari has been lifted, allowing tourist access. From June 6, limited travel has been permitted up to Boga Lake in Ruma, and to Tumatungi and Thanchi’s Tindu.

But, travel outside these specified areas remains prohibited.

KNF's Rise

The KNF emerged in Ruma upazila, founded by local resident and former Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts student, Nathan Bawm, according to law enforcement agencies.

In 2012, Nathan initially formed the Kuki-Chin Development Organisation (KNDO), which later evolved into the Kuki-Chin National Front in 2018—though the group’s logo lists 2008 as its founding year.

The group initially protested against the Parbatya Chattagram Regional Council and against groups such as the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS), and the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF). 

KNF also vocalised concerns about discrimination faced by underrepresented ethnic communities like the Bawm, Lushai, Pangkhua, Khumi and Khiang at the hands of the dominant Chakma and Marma populations.

Soon after, the group went underground and launched an armed movement against the state. 

KNF claims on its Facebook page to represent six ethnic groups across Rangamati and Bandarban: the Bawm, Pangkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Khiang and Mro. It demands a separate state comprising nine upazilas from these two districts—five in Bandarban (Rowangchhari, Ruma, Thanchi, Lama and Alikadam) and four in Rangamati (Baghaichhari, Barkal, Juraichhari, and Bilaichhari). 

The group even uploaded a map of the proposed state online.

KNF alleges that over a hundred of its military wing members received guerrilla training in Myanmar’s Kachin province around 2021. 

A team returned to Bangladesh after completing training and went into hiding, reportedly with around 15–20 members. The group has since grown in size.

Initially, KNF focused its hostility on the regional council, JSS and the Chakma community, accusing them of maintaining dominance in the hills. 

In one such act, they killed two Jum farmers in a Tripura village under Bilaichhari upazila in Rangamati.

Although the group initially called for statehood, it has since shifted towards demanding autonomy, though its anti-Chakma sentiment and opposition to the JSS and regional council remain unchanged.

Escalating Violence

Declaring itself an armed group via its Facebook page, the KNF has been accused of extortion, kidnapping and murder, destabilising the region.

Authorities allege that the militant outfit Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya set up training camps in remote KNF-controlled areas in the hills. 

This intelligence led to a joint law enforcement operation starting on October 3, 2022. A travel ban followed on October 17.

Though there were talks of peace negotiations with the government, KNF grabbed headlines again in 2024 by staging armed robberies at three bank branches within 17 hours in two upazilas.

Since its inception, KNF has reportedly been involved in at least nine major terrorist incidents. 

One such event was a clash in 2023 with another armed group, the UPDF (Democratic), leaving eight dead in Khamtangpara, Rowangchhari, and one in Mualpipara, Ruma.

Other attacks include:

May 8, 2023: Three members of the Bawm community, including an Awami League leader, were killed in Paingkhyongpara, Rowangchhari.

March 22, 2023: Village head Thongchul Bom was shot dead in Ramtharpara, Rowangchhari.

June 21, 2022: Three men were killed in Sajampara, Barathali Union, Bilaichhari.

As the security forces launched their crackdown, many KNF members reportedly fled across the border into India’s Mizoram, leaving Bawm civilians vulnerable. 

KNF took advantage of the situation to recruit more local youths, according to multiple sources.

In 2023, two KNF members and three members of the rival Mog Party were killed in separate incidents. 

On March 12 that year, a KNF ambush killed Master Warrant Officer Nazim Uddin of the Bangladesh Army and injured two other soldiers.

A day earlier, on March 11, 12 construction workers were abducted from Thanchi. One was shot, while the others were held hostage.

On April 3 and 4 2024, KNF looted three banks in Ruma and Thanchi, prompting a renewed military crackdown from April 6.

According to police, over 28 cases have been filed against KNF—18 in Ruma, six in Thanchi, three in Rowangchhari, and one in the district headquarters. 

So far, 19 KNF members have been killed in gunfights—11 in Ruma, five in Rowangchhari, two in the district town, and one in Thanchi. 

Security forces have recovered 26 firearms in ongoing operations.

Years of Losses for Tourism

According to the Bandarban Hotel-Motel Owners’ Association, there are over 150 hotels, motels, resorts, and cottages in the district, including 74 in the town centre. 

The prolonged travel bans have caused substantial losses to those dependent on tourism.

“Our economic losses have been severe due to COVID-19 and the activities of internal groups, particularly KNF. It will take years for us to recover,” said Sirajul Islam, President of the Bandarban Hotel Owners’ Association, speaking to UNB.

“However, due to the prolonged closure, many tourists visited during the recent Eid-ul-Adha holidays,” he added, inviting travellers to return to Bandarban, assuring there is currently no KNF-related threat.

Present Scenario

On June 2 this year, police raided a textile factory—Well Composite Knit—in Chattogram and arrested Managing Director Tarikul Islam and three others for allegedly supplying fabric for KNF uniforms.

Prior to that, authorities had seized 20,300 pieces of KNF uniforms from Ringvo Apparels in Noyahat on May 17 and another 11,785 from a nearby godown the following day. On May 28, an additional 15,000 uniforms were recovered from Noor Fashion factory in Pahartali.

Law enforcement has so far seized more than 47,000 KNF uniforms. 

In the past month alone, 1,979 suspected KNF members have been arrested, bringing the total number of detainees to over 14,000. These figures were disclosed during a special briefing at Army Headquarters on 26 May.

When asked about the current travel restrictions, Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ara Rini said, “There is no travel ban on any of the tourist destinations currently open to the public. These areas are completely safe for tourists.” - UNB