Myanmar Navy releases 22 Bangladeshi fishermen

Myanmar Navy has released 22 Bangladeshi fishermen, who were detained while fishing near St Martin's Island in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday night.

"They were released within 14 hours of detention," Saint Martin's Union Parishad Chairman Nur Ahmed told media on Sunday morning.

He also said, the fishermen arrived at the St Martin's island at around 12am on Saturday with the help of the Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Border Guard.

Though the Myanmar Navy returned the trawlers they seized the fuel tanks on it and 10 mobile phone sets of the fishermen, he added.

According to local fishermen, those 22 fishermen went in the sea around Friday evening on trawlers owned by Nurul Amin, Md Azim, Md Hossain and Md Younus.

Some members of Myanmar Navy crossed the maritime boundary around 10am Saturday and took control of the trawlers at gunpoint, they claimed. Trawler owner Md Azim said his trawler was taken with six fishermen onboard, along with the other three trawlers.

Quoting the fishermen, Chairman Nur Ahmed said the Myanmar navy had told them not to cross the maritime border while fishing in the future.

The Myanmar navy said it had captured them for entering the country by violating the maritime boundaries. No one was physically harmed.

However, Chairman Nur Ahmed said that the fishermen were fishing inside Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal and did not cross the maritime boundary.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Parvez Chowdhury said, "The fishermen have returned to St Martin's along with the seized trawlers after 14 hours of being detained and they are all healthy."

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said Myanmar had released the 22 Bangladeshi fishermen along with their four fishing trawlers taken from near St Martin. They are currently on the island with their families.

Earlier on 8 November, Myanmar police (BGP) arrested 20 fishermen along with three trawlers, from the South of St Martin's Island, off the Andang-Kulung coast in the Maungdaw area of Sittwe.

They were returned two days later. However, accusations of taking a ransom of Tk5 lakh were raised against the Myanmar Navy.