Arakan Army kidnaps 40 fishermen, takes away five trawlers
The Arakan Army has detained 40 fishermen, including five trawlers, from the southeast area of St. Martin, the estuary of the Naf River in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. Teknaf Municipal Boat Owners Association President Sajeed Ahmed said that these trawlers were taken from the southeast sea near St. Martin’s Island from the morning to noon last Wednesday (September 10). He said that the owners of three of the trawlers are residents of the Teknaf municipal area and the remaining two are residents of Shahparir Island area. However, he could not immediately confirm the identities of all of them. Local fishermen said that fishermen were fishing in at least 20 to 30 Bangladeshi trawlers in the Bay of Bengal southeast of St. Martin’s since last Wednesday morning. At one point, members of the Myanmar rebel group Arakan Army arrived in a speedboat and took 40 fishermen hostage at gunpoint, including five trawlers. Meanwhile, the Arakan Army has claimed responsibility for the incident. Through a media outlet called Global Arakan Network, they claimed that the Bangladeshi fishermen violated the maritime boundary and fished in the sea west of Koetan-Kauk village and west of Chainkharli village in Rathedong Township. The Arakan Coast Guard conducted separate operations between 8 am and noon and detained 40 people, including five trawlers. The Teknaf Upazila Executive Officer said that he learned about the matter from the fishermen. An investigation is underway in this regard.
