Kaladan News
Date: Monday, June 21, 2004
BDR Seized a Trawler of Hilsa Fish with some Burmese Currency inside Bangladesh
Teknaf, June 21: Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) seized a trawler of hilsa fish with some Burmese currency, in Teknaf, a border town of Bangladesh on 18th June 2004, according to our correspondent from Teknaf.
The trawler was captured at Heskai Stream of Teknaf. It came secretly to the said stream of Teknaf from Akyab, the capital of Arakan State, Burma, he further said.
The trawler was traversing at night towards Bangladesh with six crewmen and it carried numbering about 4,000 hilsa fish worth Taka 400,000/-(US$ 6,666). On information, early morning of 18th June, the BDR from Teknaf rushed to the spot and arrested the six crewmen and seized the trawler. On suspicion, the BDR looked for inside the trawler and found some Burmese currency, Kyat 3,50,000/-, which was wrapped with a plastic and put it inside the engine room, said a trader to our source.
Afterwards, the BDR handed over hilsa fish and trawler to Teknaf customs and the crewmen have been handed over to policemen. The crewmen all hail from Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, he further added.
Everyday, 2 or 3 hundred tones of Burmese fresh water fishes are unloaded at the Teknaf jetty on the Bangladesh side. All fishes are directly shipped from Rangoon, while most of the shipments include fresh water fishes and sea fish, particularly Hilsa fish, a fish trader from Teknaf said.
Hilsa fish is very popular in Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh exports hilsa fish to India though the production of hilsa has not been able to cover the domestic demand. But, the hilsa fish those came from Burma through legal way, have been exported to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirate (UAE) via Bangladesh, said a fish trader from Chittagong.
Though the administrators on both sides of the border are planning to keep up legal import and export, the local merchants are found going for illegal trade, said one of the customs from Teknaf to our source. ##
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