Bangladesh strengthening coastguards to stop human trafficking

Bangladesh has undertaken a Tk 4.6 billion project to strengthen the coastguards to thwart illegal activities on its shores.

ECNEC approved the ‘Enhancement of Operational Capability of Bangladesh Coast Guard’ project at its Tuesday’s meeting amid human trafficking in the sea making headlines across the world.
 
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the coastguards would get three inshore patrol vessels, six high-speed boats and a floating crane within 2018 under the project.
 
“The government has decided to strengthen the coastguards as human trafficking has increased in recent times,” he said.
 
“We hope it will help curb people smuggling, piracy, illegal fishing and smuggling in the seas.”
 
He said other projects would be put up before the ECNEC in future to further increase the coastguards’ strength.  
 
According to UN refugee agency UNHCR, the number of immigrants boarding smugglers’ boats doubled in the first three months of this year.
 
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia rescued thousands of Rohingyas and suspected Bangladeshis in recent weeks.
 
At least 8,000 others are feared stranded on vessels in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea due to the Southeast Asian nations’ crackdown.
 
On Tuesday, the UN and several international organisations requested them to protect the migrants and stranded refugees.

The ECNEC meeting also cleared eight development projects at a cost of Tk 15.91 billion.

Of the amount, the government will provide Tk 15.66 billion and the relevant organisations will contribute the rest, Minister Kamal added.