Rangamati, Sep 01 (V7N) - In an alarming development, tribal extortionists in the Chattogram Hill Tracts have demanded a ransom of Tk 2 crore from local fishermen, leading to significant disruptions in fishing activities. On September 1, 2024, the first day of the fishing season, 60% of fishermen in Kaptai Lake were unable to cast their nets due to the extortion threat. Local markets in Rangamati also reported a noticeable shortage of Kaptai Lake fish, unlike previous years.
 
According to sources, thousands of fishermen, who had resumed fishing after a 127-day government-imposed ban, were met with armed resistance from four tribal groups who imposed a ban on fishing in their controlled areas. These groups reportedly displayed heavy firearms to enforce their demands, forcing many fishermen to abandon their nets and flee to areas with larger Bangladeshi populations for safety.
 
Local fish traders revealed that despite paying a regular token fee to these tribal groups, they were now being asked for an additional 2 crore taka, 50 lakh taka per group. This unexpected demand has created severe financial strain on the fishermen, who had already been struggling due to the prolonged ban.
 
The Kaptai Fishermen's Cooperative Society reported that members of the JSS (Santu) faction had made an unusually high demand for annual extortion fees. The failure to meet these demands resulted in a prohibition on fishing activities.
 
Jasim Uddin, head of the Kaptai Fisheries Development Corporation's sub-centre, confirmed that no fish had been landed at the Kaptai fish landing center as of Sunday morning. The reasons for this remain unclear.
 
Sources indicated that extortionists, using five collectors from Mahalchhari, Rangamati city, and Kaptai, had been gathering information on traders to collect the demanded ransoms. Areas such as Balukhali, Naniachar route, Kaptai Line, Kainda, and Chemi Line were heavily patrolled by armed groups, further preventing fishing activities.
 
When contacted, the inspector in charge of the naval police in Rangamati stated that they had not received any reports about such incidents.
 
Notably, after a 127-day hiatus, around 26,000 fishing families from Rangamati and Khagrachari were expected to resume fishing in Kaptai Lake on Saturday night. The hope was to rejuvenate the local economy with a bountiful catch on the first day of the season, but the extortion demands have prevented the fishermen from fishing, placing their safety at risk.

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