Border News Agency
Maungdaw, May 18
Cargo boats that had been held by both Arakan and Bangladesh authorities have now been mutually returned by both sides.
On May 14, Bangladesh authorities released eight boats from Maungdaw that had been held at the Teknaf port.
Those cargo boats had arrived at Teknaf Port in Bangladesh on April 14 from the Kanyin Chaung Economic Zone Port in Maungdaw Township, which is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA).
Among them were timber-exporting cargo boats from Maungdaw to Bangladesh, along with other boats transporting goods. The Bangladesh authorities had held these ships for about one month.
As a result, the Arakan Coastal Guard, under the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government, handed over Bangladeshi fishing boats it had detained to the Bangladesh Border Guard.
These boats had entered Arakan’s territorial waters in the Naf River illegally for fishing. A total of eight Bangladeshi fishing boats were returned on May 15, followed by another eight on May 16.
Although there are no official diplomatic relations between the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government and the Bangladeshi government, both sides have engaged in mutual understanding and informal coordination on certain matters.
The Arakan Army has maintained full control of the Arakan-Bangladesh border area since December 8 of last year, and has been carrying out patrols and security operations in the Naf River region as part of efforts to maintain stability in the border zone.
In the ongoing final phase of the Arakan conflict, the Arakan Army (AA) has fully taken control of both the over-200-kilometer-long Arakan–Bangladesh border and the Arakan–India border. Under this control, the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government is actively establishing governance mechanisms in the region.
