Burmese navy captures two cargo boats with one boatman in Pauktaw sea

Mra Htwee Shin, 25 March 2022

Two wood smuggling cargo boats along with one boatman were seized by the Burmese navy near Thekone village under  Pauktaw  township of Rakhine State last night after several gunshots were fired, said local residents.

Around 15 people were on board among whom one was captured while the others escaped.

Both the cargo boats were chased by the navy team as those were sailing near the Bay of Bengal on 24 March by 5 pm from the direction of Sittwe.

"I heard that both the boats were asked to stop by the navy team but they did not respond and tried to go away. Then the navy personnel fired several gunshots on the boats. Soon they successfully captured the boats at Minte port. One boatman was arrested and the rest ran up the nearby hills,” said a local resident from Thekone village adding that one of the fleeing boatmen sustained injury.

The navy personnel took away the boats along with the boatmna. Locals suspect that the boats might have carried woods to Bangladesh but they have no idea whether it was a legal deal or not.

Narinjara News tried to contact the Rakhine State security and border affairs minister Colonel Colonel Kyaw Thura and State council spokesman Hla Thein with queries about the development event, but could not get access.

(Photo by Rakhine daily)