Teknaf, Jan 17, (V7N) - The Arakan Army, a rebel group in Myanmar, has detained two cargo boats en route from Yangon to the Teknaf Land Port in Bangladesh, at the mouth of the Naf River. The boats were stopped by the Arakan Army on Thursday afternoon at 12:00 PM, under the pretext of conducting a search in Myanmar’s waters near the Naikhong area. As of 8:30 PM on Thursday, the boats had not been released.
 
According to Mohammad Jasim Uddin Chowdhury, the General Manager of United Land Port Limited, the company managing Teknaf Land Port, three cargo ships were expected to arrive from Myanmar. However, the Arakan Army stopped two of these vessels at the mouth of the Naf River, leading one remaining boat to anchor at Saint Martin's Island. There has been no further news regarding the two detained boats, but it is anticipated that they may be released by the Arakan Army on Friday morning.
 
Since December 8, when the Arakan Army took control of the Mongdu Township in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, no cargo vessels have reached the Teknaf Land Port. The last shipment arrived on December 3.
 
According to information from the port and local traders, after a long hiatus, three cargo boats had finally set sail from Yangon, Myanmar, for Teknaf on Thursday. However, two of them were detained by the Arakan Army. The detained boats are carrying over 30,000 bags of goods, including pickles, dried fish, and spices. These goods are owned by traders such as Shoukat Ali, Ofor Faruq, Mohammad Ayash, MA Hasem, and Mohammad Omar Wahid.
 
An official at the land port stated that since the Arakan Army took control of Mongdu Township, no cargo vessels have arrived at the Teknaf Land Port. Now, the detention of these two boats has further disrupted trade.
 
One anonymous businessman remarked that trade at the port has significantly declined over the past few months, leading to financial losses. The government has been deprived of revenue, and it is urged to engage in discussions with Myanmar to resolve this issue and revive cross-border trade. Without intervention, many traders may stop using the Teknaf port altogether.
 
Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, the commander of the Teknaf-2 Border Guard Battalion (BGB), confirmed that the cargo boats had been searched in Myanmar’s waters. However, he clarified that no one had officially informed them about the incident, and since the boats were in Myanmar’s waters, the issue lies beyond Bangladesh’s jurisdiction.
 
This situation highlights the ongoing disruption in the cross-border trade between Myanmar and Bangladesh due to the conflict in Rakhine State and the growing influence of the Arakan Army.
 
END/FA/SMA/