A total of 122 fishermen, detained by the Coast Guard while attempting to cross into Myanmar through the Naf River along the Teknaf border, have been released on conditional terms. Among them, 93 Rohingya refugees were sent back to camps, while the remaining 29 Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to their families.
The matter was confirmed on Sunday (August 31) by Abu Zayed Md. Nazmun Nur, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station. He said the Coast Guard handed the detainees over to the police station, after which district administration and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) directed that the Rohingyas be sent back to various camps in Cox’s Bazar under APBn escort.
Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi fishermen, along with their trawlers, were released to their families in the presence of Teknaf Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Rakib Hasan Chowdhury. As a condition, each of them had to sign a bond pledging not to cross the border again.
Coast Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq said the operation was conducted on Friday morning, spanning from Jaliapara to Shahporir Dwip estuary, during which the 122 fishermen were detained.
He explained that large stretches of Myanmar’s Rakhine State are now under the control of the insurgent group Arakan Army due to ongoing conflict.
“Anyone entering those areas risks abduction, which is why we are carrying out regular patrols along the border,” he said.
Trawler owners, however, argue that without using the Naikhyangdia point, fishing would come to a complete halt because of underwater sandbars in the sea.
They say the escalating tensions along the border and the complex maritime boundaries have left them with no other option.
According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Arakan Army has abducted at least 300 fishermen from areas along the Naf River in the past eight months.
Colonel Mohammad Mohiuddin Ahmed, Commander of the Ramu Sector under Cox’s Bazar region, said that 51 Bangladeshi fishermen are currently being held captive by the insurgents. “We are maintaining informal communication and making every effort to ensure no further abductions take place,” he added.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
