Arakan Army detains 13 fishermen along with boat in Teknaf.

Arakan Army detains 13 fishermen along with boat in Teknaf.
Photo: Shamsul Alam Sharek

Daily Bijoy News Teknaf (Cox's Bazar) Correspondent:

The Myanmar Arakan Army has detained 13 Rohingya fishermen along with two boats while they were fishing near the Bay of Bengal. The fishermen on the trawler owned by Arman are: Ibad Ullah, Md. Ayub, Sultan Ahmed, Din Islam, Akhtar Hossain. The owner of the other trawler has not yet been identified. Sajed Ahmed, President of the Teknaf Municipality Kayukkhali Boat Owners Association, confirmed the matter on Wednesday (November 12) at 4:00 PM. He said, the Myanmar Arakan Army seized two fishing boats and 13 fishermen while they were returning after fishing near Saint Martin in the Bay of Bengal. The Arakan Army detained 6 Rohingya fishermen along with a trawler owned by Md. Arman, son of Syed Alam, a resident of the Uttar Jalia Para area of the municipality. The identity of the owner of the other trawler has not yet been confirmed.

Myanmar-based media network Global Arakan Network reported that on November 12, at 6:00 AM, a coastal security patrol team set out from the N-Khaung-Taw base station with two speedboats and a large wooden boat towards the Ngwe-Maung coast. Their objective was to prevent illegal fishing incursions into Arakan waters from Bangladesh and detain the accused. During the patrol, at 7:30 AM, approximately 1.77 kilometers west of Ko-Tan-Kauk village in Sittwe Township, the patrol team detained 6 Bangladeshi fishermen while they were fishing. Seized items included 1 wooden boat, 48 viss (approximately 77 kg) of fish and shrimp, 4 mobile phones, 6 drift nets, 1 drag net, and 200 tarpaulin sheets. The detained fishermen will face further legal action according to Arakan law for the offense of illegally entering Arakan waters and fishing. Regarding this matter, Teknaf Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin said, 'We learned about the detention of the fishermen along with the trawlers from the trawler owners. We are investigating the matter. Our law enforcement agencies have been informed about the detained fishermen.'

Daily Bijoy News / Shamsul Alam Sharek