Myanmar sends back 17 fishermen stranded in sea to Bangladesh

Seventeen Bangladeshi fishermen stranded in Myanmar after their boat drifted to its maritime territory have returned home.

Senior Correspondentand Cox’s Bazar Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 Dec 2019, 06:15 PM
Updated : 8 Dec 2019, 01:56 PM

Myanmar Navy handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard at the waterline on Friday night, Lieutenant Commander M Hamidul Islam, the force’s spokesman, told bdnews24.com.

They were under the coastguards’ custody now and it would take some time to transfer them to their families, Hamidul said.

They are from Chattogram, Bhola, Munshiganj and Chandpur districts.

On Thursday, Myanmar Navy rescued the fishermen in the country’s waters near Saint Martin's Island of Bangladesh, according to Hamidul.

“The boat’s engine went out of order while the fishermen were fishing in the Saint Martin’s area last night. At one point, the boat was captured when it drifted into the Myanmar territory.”

The authorities later made efforts to bring them back through discussion with Myanmar officials, said Hamidul.