16 Bangladeshi fishermen released by Arakan Army, handed over to BGB

The Arakan Army, a separatist armed group in Myanmar, handed over 16 Bangladeshi fishermen to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Teknaf Battalion (BGB-2) through the Naf River yesterday evening .
The BGB headquarters confirmed the development in a press release today.
The fishermen, who had been in the custody of the Arakan Army for six days, were released to BGB at around 6:00pm.
The group had been captured while fishing in the deep Bay of Bengal on a trawler from Nuniarchhara Fishery Ghat in Cox’s Bazar.
According to the BGB release, on September 28, 2024, the fishermen set out for the Bay of Bengal. On the evening of October 5, they were attacked by unknown assailants in three trawlers, who beat them and held them captive in the trawler’s deck.
Two days later, on October 7, the fishermen were released on a char in the Myanmar part of the Bay of Bengal.
The fishermen later made contact with civilians in Myanmar and voluntarily surrendered to the Arakan Army.
On October 13, the Arakan Army informed the BGB of the fishermen’s detention, leading to their release.
The 16 fishermen were identified as Md Ismail, 27, Abdul Hafez, 28, Azizur Rahman, 45, Abu Hena, 40, Ali, 40, Arafat, 30, Md Helal, 28, Aman Ullah, 50, Nabi Hossain, 28, Md Salimullah, 45, Md Yunus, 52, Md Sagar, 22, Md Selim, 28, Dil Mohammad, 27, Rahim Ullah, 52, and Md Joynal, 55.
After their return to Bangladesh via the Naf River, the BGB contacted the fishermen’s families and handed them over to their relatives.