AA Rescues 16 Bangladeshi Fishermen Attacked by Pirates, Hands Them Over to Bangladesh Authorities

Narinjara News, 14 October 2024

On October 14, the Arakan Army (AA) declared in a statement that it had successfully rescued sixteen Bangladeshi people who had been left behind in the Bay of Bengal. After being rescued by the Arakan People's Revolutionary Government's Coast Guard, they were turned over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

The statement claims that on September 28, 2024, at around nine in the morning, the 16 fishermen from Bangladesh had gone out to fish in the Bay of Bengal. On October 4, at about six o'clock in the evening, a group of armed pirates ambushed their trawler.

According to the statement, the pirate group—which was made up of roughly sixty Bengalis—carried out the attack using three motorboats. The fishermen were taken prisoner by the pirates, who imprisoned them in their own trawler and took everything from gasoline to food, rice, oil, salt, money, phones, and fishing nets.

The pirates also beat the Bangladeshi fishermen with sticks and gunbutts. They were confined in the trawler's belly for two days after the attack, without access to food or water.

The fishermen said that the armed pirates surrounded their trawler with three motorboats and threatened to shoot and murder them, according to a statement from the Arakan Army.

At roughly 4:00 am on October 7, 2024, in Maungdaw Town, Arakan Region, the pirates attempted to land the trawler close to the shore of Kyauk Pan Du. But according to the statement, at around 6:30 in the morning, the Arakan Coast Guard found the trawler and managed to save all 16 fishermen, including their leader, Bangladeshi fisherman Hama Ulas.

The fishermen who had been hurt during the pirate raid received medical attention from the Arakan Army (AA) during the rescue.

Following the rescue, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other pertinent authorities were notified by the Arakan Army (AA). At Bangladesh's Shaporir Jetty, the fishermen were safely turned over to the BGB and police on October 14, 2024, at 6:15 pm.

The fishermen were identified as one each from Panchhori and Pichari villages in Sabrang, Teknaf, and fourteen members of Islampur village in Cox's Bazar City, Cox's Bazar District.