Two Bangladeshi fishermen were abducted early Wednesday by members of the Arakan Army after their fishing boat reportedly drifted into Myanmar waters in the Naf River off Teknaf’s Hwaikyang area.
The incident took place before dawn near the Jhimongkhali point of the river, confirmed Ward-2 UP Member Sirajul Mostafa of Hwaikyang Union.
The abducted fishermen are Mohammad Selim, 50, son of Abul Kashem from Hwaikyang’s Ward-2 North Para, and Mohammad Riaz Uddin, 18, son of Oli Hossain from Roikhyang in Unchiprang’s Ward-3.
“Fishermen were catching fish in the Jhimongkhali stretch of the Naf River when Arakan Army members detained two of them. The others managed to escape back to Bangladesh,” Sirajul Mostafa told TIMES.
He added that due to fog and low visibility on the river at the time, it remained unclear from which point along the border the armed group seized the fishermen.
Teknaf Upazila Acting Executive Officer and Assistant Commissioner (land) Rakib Hasan Chowdhury said the administration has been informed. “We have learnt through the UP member that the Arakan Army picked up two fishermen from the Naf River. We are looking into the matter.”
This follows a similar incident on 27 November, when the Arakan Army abducted 12 fishermen along with two trawlers from the Bay of Bengal near St Martin’s Island.
Over the past nine months, the armed group has abducted at least 360 fishermen from the Naf River and the waters around Saint Martin’s Island. With support from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), around 200 fishermen were returned between March and August.
However, about 160 fishermen still remain missing.
