The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) brought back 16 Bangladeshi fishermen who were captured by Myanmar’s Arakan Army while fishing in the Bay of Bengal. The Arakan Army handed over the fishermen to Teknaf BGB at the neutral line of the Naf River on Monday night.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Mohiuddin Ahmed, commanding officer of Teknaf’s BGB-2, confirmed the return during a press briefing at the Teknaf BGB headquarters on Tuesday. Lt Col Mohiuddin Ahmed explained that the fishermen had set out to fish in the deep waters of the Bay of Bengal from Nunyarchhara Fishery Ghat in Cox’s Bazar on September 28. On the evening of October 5, they were attacked by unidentified miscreants and robbers on three trawlers, who assaulted the fishermen and held them captive inside the trawler deck.
On October 7, the miscreant group released the fishermen at a location in the Myanmar part of the Bay of Bengal. The fishermen later contacted the Arakan Army through local Myanmar civilians and surrendered to them. The BGB was informed of their capture on October 13 after the fishermen had been in Arakan Army custody for six days.
Following negotiations, the Arakan Army handed over the fishermen to the BGB at the zero line of the Naf River on Monday night. The 16 fishermen have been reunited with their families after contacting their relatives, BGB confirmed.