BD Navy Detains 214 Myanmar Nationals in Bay of Bengal

Greenwatch Desk Military 2025-04-09, 9:25am

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The Bangladesh Navy has detained 214 Myanmar nationals, including 118 men, 68 women, and 28 children, while they were attempting to illegally enter Malaysia from the Bay of Bengal. The group was found aboard a fishing trawler, the “FV Kulsuma,” which lacked basic safety measures and was attempting the perilous journey without essential life-saving equipment.

The detainees, all Rohingya refugees, were intercepted on Tuesday during a routine patrol by the Navy’s ship Banauja Durjoy, about 44 nautical miles southwest of Saint Martin’s Island, after the vessel’s suspicious movements were detected.

The trawler, which had departed from Shaplapur, Cox’s Bazar at around 2:00 am on Tuesday, was found to be dangerously ill-equipped, with insufficient food, water, and safety gear, raising concerns of a potential humanitarian disaster in the deep sea.

Following the interception, the Navy handed over the vessel and all 214 detainees to the Bangladesh Coast Guard Station at Saint Martin’s Island for further legal action, as stated in a release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).