A fisherman was killed and two others injured when Myanmar Navy opened fire on Bangladeshi fishing boats in the Bay of Bengal near St Martin's Island, a local official said on Thursday.
Trawler owners said that the Myanmar Navy opened fire in Moulvir Shil estuary of the Bay of Bengal southwest of St Martin’s Island on Wednesday afternoon.
Five trawlers carrying 60 people were taken to Myanmar, they said.
Teknaf upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury said Myanmar Navy also detained at least 40 fishermen and handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard later.
“The fishermen are being brought to Teknaf by the coast guard. Details about the incident will be known once they reach Teknaf,” he added.
Trawler owners said that Md Osman died after being shot in the incident. He hailed from Shah Porir Dwip’s Konarpara area and worked as a fisherman on a trawler owned by the Saiful Company.
Trawler owner Saiful said that the Myanmar Navy suddenly gave chase and opened fire on the vessels as they were fishing. They then took the five trawlers and those on board back to Myanmar.
The trawler arrived at Shah Porir Dwip on Thursday afternoon after the Myanmar Navy released it, he said.
The owners of the other four trawlers are Matiur Rahman, Abdullah, his brother Ataullah and Md Asem. All of them hail from Shah Porir Dwip.
Matiur said they do not have any communication with the trawlers or their sailors and passengers.
On Monday, five fishermen were abducted by the Myanmar rebel group Arakan Army when they were fishing in the Naf river. They were brought back by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Wednesday.
The bordering areas with Myanmar have become chaotic due to the fierce fighting between the Myanmar government troops and the Arakan Army in the Rakhine State for the last eight months. Meanwhile, the Arakan Army has captured most of the areas, including Maungdaw township along the Bangladesh border.
