Abduction scare rife in Teknaf's Naf River

Fear of abduction by the Arakan Army (AA) looms large in the Naf River on the Teknaf side in Bangladesh with a sharp rise in the incidents of fishermen getting picked up by the rebel armed group of Myanmar in the recent time.

The Naf River is the main source of livelihood for the fishing community of Teknaf. The fishermen here make a living by fishing in the river.

But in the recent time, local fishermen have started getting into mischief by the Arakan Army, mostly abduction, on the Teknaf side of the river.

Sources said in the past five months, the AA has abducted 206 fishermen from the Naf River and the sea.

Lately the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has brought back 55 fishermen who had been abducted by the Arakan Army (AA) from the Naf River and the Bay of Bengal.

Earlier, on April 8, the Arakan Army abducted 23 fishermen along with four trawlers.

Afterwards at least 3,000 fishermen with more than 400 trawlers in Teknaf have stopped fishing due to insecurity and fear.

Local fishermen said that since the Arakan Army took control of Rakhine State from the army, the group's aggressive activities in the Bangladesh border area have increased.

They are entering the territory of the Naf River riding high-speed boats and kidnapping fishermen along with trawlers. As a consequence, the fishing trawlers are not going into the river for the past few weeks.

Of the 23 fishermen abducted on April 8 from the Moulvirsil area adjacent to Saint Martin and Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf upazila, five were in Abdul Shukkur's trawler, six in Mohammad Shaon's trawler and 12 in Abdul Hakim's two trawlers.

Some fishermen from Teknaf who recently returned from captivity in Myanmar said that the Arakan Army is abducting Bangladeshi fishermen from the Naf River to build good relations with the Bangladesh government and create a regular channel of communication. While they were in captivity in Rakhine, members of the Arakan Army told them about such a desire.

Fishermen Syed Noor and Ahmed Ullah said that the incidents of abduction by the Arakan Army are increasing day by day. Fishermen are afraid to go fishing in the river.

The families of the fishermen are constantly living in fear. More than 3,000 fishermen are already facing financial difficulties. They are struggling to make two ends meet.

It is known that the activities of the Arakan Army increased after the capture of Maungdaw Town on December 8. As of April 16, 206 fishermen have been abducted. Of them, 189 could be brought back through efforts of the Border Guard Bangladesh.

Teknaf 2 BGB Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Md. Ashikur Rahman said, "Fishermen were taken away from the Naf River and the Bay of Bengal at different times. The last time 23 fishermen were taken away with 4 trawlers was on April 8. After discussing the matter with the Arakan Army several times, 55 people were brought back to the country on April 16. Among the returnees, 13 are Bangladeshi citizens. The other 42 are residents of various Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar. The process of handing them over to their guardians through the police and sending them back to the camps is underway."

Teknaf Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin said that Myanmar has banned fishing in Rakhine State. For this reason, fishermen have been warned not to enter Myanmar's waters unintentionally. However, kidnap incidents are happening, and the matter has been reported to the highest levels of the government.

Meanwhile, although the 58-day marine fishing ban announced by the government came into effect from April 15, fishing has stopped before that, causing extreme financial crisis in the fishermen's villages.

Hundreds of trawlers are now anchored at Shahparir Island, Jaliapara and Khayukhali Ghat. The fishermen are spending their days repairing nets and doing small jobs.

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