Arakan Army detains 7 fishermen from Naf River
The incident occurred at around 2pm when the fishermen were returning after fishing in the river, local sources said.
Seven fishermen, along with two small fishing boats, were detained by Myanmar's Arakan Army from the Naf River estuary in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar this afternoon (30 April).
The incident occurred at around 2pm when the fishermen were returning after fishing in the river, local sources said.
The detained fishermen were identified as Abdur Rahman, son of late Lal Mia; Abdul Matlab, son of Nurul Islam; Gura Mia, son of Mokbul Ahmed and Md Hasan, son of Abdus Salam, all residents of Sabrang Naya Para. The others are Ahmed Ali, Nurul Absar and Abdur Rahim from Shah Porir Dwip.
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Confirming the matter, Commanding Officer of Teknaf-2 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Lieutenant Colonel Hanifur Rahman Bhuiyan said he had heard about the incident and instructed the concerned border outpost commander to gather details.
"We will take steps to bring them back once we have more information," he said.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Imamul Hafiz Nadim said authorities are in contact with the Bangladesh Coast Guard and BGB to secure the fishermen's release.
Sabrang Union Parishad member Abul Foyez said five fishermen from his area and three from Shah Porir Dwip were detained while fishing in the Naf River.
"They went fishing at around 7am and were picked up by the Arakan Army while returning in the afternoon," he said.
Munni Akter, wife of detained fisherman Ahmed Ali, expressed concern over her husband's fate.
"My husband is among those taken. We survive on fishing. If he does not return, we will have nothing to eat," she said.
Boat owner Abdus Shukkur said four fishermen had gone out on his boat in the morning.
"They are very poor. I demand their immediate return," he said.
