Coastguards detain 122 Bangladeshis for fishing inside Myanmar waters

Coastguards have detained 122 fishermen and boatmen, including 93 Rohingya, on charges of crossing the Naf River to fish inside Myanmar waters.

Teknaf coastguards’ Lt Commander Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir said the arrests followed Friday morning raids in areas of Cox’s Bazar district’s Teknaf municipality bordering the river, reports bdnews24.com.

He said the stretch of Rakhine State opposite Teknaf is now under the Arakan Army’s control, and Bangladeshi fishermen are “often seized as soon as they cross the zero line”.

The detainees include crews from 19 Bangladeshi trawlers. The coastguards said legal proceedings are in progress.

Trawler owners said between Aug 5 to 28, the Arakan Army allegedly captured 63 fishermen and seized 10 trawlers.

Since December 2024, 267 Bangladeshi fishermen have been abducted across the Naf and the Bay of Bengal, of whom 189 have returned.