Narinjara News, July 20, 2025 

According to reports, the Arakan Army Coast Guard freed three fishing vessels carrying 23 Bangladeshi fishermen who had trespassed into Rakhine waters in order to poach there.

"Now they are fishing in large boats on Arakan water. The AA coast guard detained 23 individuals on three ships. After being inspected, they were freed the next day. They won't do anything significant. After releasing them, AA officers advised them not to repeat the behavior,” a source in Maungdaw Township with intimate knowledge of the ULA/AA said.

For unlawfully fishing in Rakhine waters, the AA Coast Guard detained the fishermen on July 17 as they were unlawfully trespassing into Arakan territory.

The release by AA on July 18 included three boats and 21 Bangladeshi fishermen, according to the local news outlet Ukhiya News, which is located in Bangladesh.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Arakan Army (AA) has taken no action, Bangladeshi fishermen routinely enter the seas of the Rakhine (Arakan) to poach fish, according to a local man from Maungdaw.

"The Bangladesh fishermen don't even utilize tiny boats. Since they knew that the AA had released immediately after, they now enter Arakan waters with large fishing boats. I believe that releasing them in this way is not a good idea. AA should take effective action and punish them until they no longer wish to poach fish in our waters. In that manner, they will be too terrified to approach the waters of Arakan. They will keep stealing fish if they don't, he warned,” he said.

This July, numerous Bangladeshi fishing boats have been illegally catching fish along the coast of the southern region of Maungdaw township, notably the area surrounding the mouth of the Naff River. They flee right away after catching fish in Arakan waters.

Additionally, Bangladeshi fishermen are using fishing boats to enter Rakhine waters and illegally catch fish, benefiting from the ongoing conflict in Rakhine and the AA's inadequate administrative actions.

The residents of Maungdaw hardly ever fish at sea, but the waters off Rakhine are teeming with fish, so they are taking advantage of this by intruding into Rakhine waters to fish, according to the locals.

Locals in Kyaukpandhu and Inndin villages in the south of Maungdaw Township, and Donpaik, Chenkhali, and Kotankauk villages in the southwest of Rathedaung Township claim that Bangladeshi fishing vessels are presently invading and fishing in the southern coast of the Mayu Peninsula.

These Bangladeshi-flagged fishing vessels are utilizing big nets to capture fish, such as hilsa, up to a mile off the shore. They are also catching other fish.

According to locals, action must be taken because a Bangladeshi fishing vessel with five to ten fishermen is fishing in Rakhine seas around the clock.

According to sources close to the AA, the coast guard of the organization has repeatedly apprehended Bangladeshi fishermen who trespass into Rakhine waters and turned them over to Bangladeshi officials.

Additionally, the AA stated that it was exhibiting leniency and taking into account the way of life of the Bangladeshi fishermen who often engage in illegal fishing in Rakhine waters. The Bangladeshi government hasn't taken any action against the fishermen, even though the AA has transferred the poachers to them.

According to analysts, by blaming the AA for poaching Bangladeshi fishermen in Rakhine waters instead of blaming them, Bangladeshi media have inadvertently supported illegal fishing in Rakhine waters.

Since December 8, 2024, the AA has held sway over the whole 271-kilometer (168.4-mile) Bangladeshi border, including the entire Maungdaw Township. Since then, the number of illicit fishing trips from Bangladesh has been steadily rising, according to locals. Over 100 fishing nets have been confiscated by the AA Coast Guard, and over 100 fishermen have been freed.