Three cargo ships, traveling from Myanamr's Yangon to Cox's Bazar's Teknaf port, have been seized by Arakan Army from the Naf River along Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Reports indicated that the ships are carrying around 50,000 bags of dried fish, betel nuts, coffee, and various other goods, with an estimated value of Tk 40 crore. The importers include Shawkat Ali, Omar Faruk, Md. Ayas, MA Hashem, and Omar Wahid.
One of the importers from Teknaf port said, "After about a month and a half, we imported goods from Yangon. But the Arakan Army has stopped the ships on their way here. The vessels are still under their control. Myanmar traders are in touch with the Arakan Army, and we hope the cargo will reach Teknaf in a day or two."
According to Jasim Uddin Chowdhury, General Manager of United Land Port Limited, the operator of the Teknaf land port, the ships were intercepted at around 4 PM on Thursday near Naikhyangdia. The Arakan Army stopped the vessels under the pretext of conducting a search.
As of Saturday afternoon, he confirmed that the ships, carrying goods from Myanmar, had not been released by the Arakan Army, even after two days.
Teknaf Customs and Forwarding (C&F) Agents Associatio General Secretary Ehteshamul Haque Bahadur also cited the same adding, said, "We are in contact with Myanmar traders and the Arakan Army to resolve the issue."