Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), 55 Bangladeshi fishermen who had been abducted from the Bay of Bengal at various times were returned from the custody of the Arakan Army in Myanmar. The handover occurred on Wednesday afternoon at the Teknaf-Myanmar transit jetty point near Chowdhury Para in Teknaf municipality, Cox’s Bazar.
However, the Arakan Army did not return the boats or fishing nets belonging to the fishermen.
Lieutenant Colonel Md. Ashiqur Rahman, Commanding Officer of BGB Battalion-2 in Teknaf, confirmed the development. He stated, “The 55 fishermen, previously detained by the Arakan Army while fishing in the sea, have been successfully brought back through sustained diplomatic and operational efforts. They are now under our custody. We are collecting information from them and will soon hand them over to their families.”
Abul Kalam, General Secretary of the Kayukkhali Boat Owners’ Association in Teknaf, said, “Among the rescued are six crew members from my own boats. While we are grateful for their return, the Arakan Army did not return our fishing boats and nets, resulting in a total loss of about Tk 1.5 million.”
Sheikh Ehshan Uddin, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Teknaf, also commented, “Thanks to BGB’s dedicated efforts, another 55 fishermen have been brought back. We will now explore ways, through BGB, to recover the seized boats and fishing gear.”
This is one of several such instances in recent months, as fishermen in coastal areas continue to face risks while fishing in contested maritime zones near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
By Abdur Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
