Narinjara News, August 2, 2025

Bangladeshi fishing vessels are exploiting regional instability and security vulnerabilities by increasingly poaching fish in Rakhine (Arakan) waters, according to sources.

Bangladeshi fishermen, who had been apprehended in Rakhine waters by the Arakan Army (AA) for fishing illegally, were handed over to the Bangladeshi authorities. They took advantage of this lenient action and engaged in further poaching, locals claimed.

"There were around 50 or 60 Bangladeshi fishing boats on July 31 and August 1. They were engaging in illegal fishing in Rakhine's waters. Even though the AA apprehended the fishermen in its waters, it let them go and turned them over since it didn't want to run afoul of the Bangladeshi authorities. Things are getting worse now that they know about it. They have become indifferent to the AA,” said U Kyaw Hla, a local fisherman from Maungdaw.

Because there are so many fishermen in Bangladesh, a heavily populated nation where many people rely on fishing for a living, they frequently trespass into the nearby Rakhine (Arakan) waters to fish illegally due to the scarcity of resources in their own waters.

Bangladesh fishing boats poaching in Rakhine waters

Additionally, a local guy in Maungdaw said, "There are days when the AA seizes boats. However, they set them free. The coast guard arrests them even if they are seen entering the waters, yet they keep sneaking in.”

A former member of parliament from Maungdaw said that Bangladeshi officials should also take actions to stop illegal fishing in Rakhine waters.

"The Bangladeshi government is also aware that its fishermen are poaching in Rakhine waters. Their fishermen were detained by the AA for illegally fishing in Rakhine waters. The AA did not seize fishing vessels by entering Bangladeshi waters. The Bangladesh media is intentionally blaming the AA for this,” he said.

A local man said anyone who unlawfully enters our territory and poaches fish should be punished.

"They should be punished by effective legislation if they are caught in our water area. It's better not to capture them if they are caught and freed in this manner. If they are captured, I would like to ask our authorities to take action against them effectively," he stated.

The AA Coast Guard seized three big fishing vessels and 23 fishermen on July 17 who had unlawfully entered the mouth of the Naf river in Rakhine waters and handed them back to the Bangladesh Border Guard Force.

According to local people, Bangladeshi fishing vessels are now fishing in the Rakhine waters along the Naf River and in the southern Maungdaw Township, Kyauk Pandu, Inn Din, and the southern coast of the Mayu Peninsula, including Don Pike, Chen Khali, and Koe Tan Kauk.

Over 100 fishing nets have been confiscated by the AA Coast Guard, and more than 100 fishermen have been freed.

Bangladeshi fishermen bribed military council authorities and were given fishing rights in the high seas, including the Naf River, on the Myanmar side, during the previous military council administration, but they were not granted such rights during the AA's rule, which is causing dissatisfaction with the AA.

Photo: Bangladeshi fishing boats are seen illegally fishing in Rakhine waters off Kyaukpantu Beach in southern Maungdaw