Narinjara News, 23 January 2025 

The Arakan Army (AA) has freed two of the three boats it had seized, while one is still in their possession. 

According to a local businessman, the two released ships have arrived at Teknaf Port in Bangladesh, while the last one is still in the custody of the AA. 

"Two ships have been dispatched by the AA and reached Teknaf Port in Bangladesh. The last one is still under detention and being interrogated as it belongs to families and associates of the junta," the businessman stated. 

He conveyed his backing for the liberation of two of the captured ships. 

“The AA is a militant resistance group. They apprehended the ships because they accessed Arakan waters that were under their jurisdiction, and they were entitled to do that. Nevertheless, the AA set free two of the boats. They might have also launched the third one. Had these vessels belonged to Arakanese merchants and been seized by the junta, the vessels and their cargo would have been taken, and the individuals would have been incarcerated. The AA did not do this. They negotiated and liberated the merchandise and ships. We welcome this," he expressed.

The seized ships are loaded with cargo valued at approximately 400 million Bangladeshi taka (8 billion kyats in Myanmar currency), such as dried fish, betel nuts, plum candy, and other items, which were en route from Yangon to Teknaf Port in Bangladesh. 

The AA apprehended the ships after stopping them close to the Bangladesh-Myanmar maritime boundary, governed by the AA, at about 4:00 pm on Thursday. 

According to Ehteshamul Haque Bahadur, general secretary of the Teknaf Land Port Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, the two vessels that were released reached Teknaf Port in Bangladesh, across from Maungdaw town, at approximately 11:30 am on January 21. 

“Two ships have come back to the harbor with their cargo, but the AA has not yet allowed the other ship to leave,” Ehteshamul Haque Bahadur mentioned. 

The AA's dominance over Maungdaw Town in Arakan State, an essential center for border trade, has interfered with activities at Teknaf Port on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. 

Bangladeshi news sources indicate that the nation’s trade income has fallen by 1.7 billion taka from last year as a result of the ongoing strife in Arakan State.

Following the capture of the 272 km border, the AA obstructed the Naf River, a vital pathway for border commerce, hindering ships from docking at the inland port of Teknaf, as reported by Bangladeshi port authorities. 

The civil war in Myanmar persists, with Maungdaw Town, a key border trading hub, under AA control since December 8 of the previous year. The AA similarly regulates the border trade in the region.