Kaladan News

Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Nine Bangladeshi Woodcutters Sentenced Three-Year Imprisonment by Court in Burma

Cox’s bazaar, July 21: Nine Bangladeshi woodcutters were sentenced to a 3-year imprisonment by a law court in Burma on July 7, 2004, according to our correspondent.

Nasaka (Burmese- Border Security Force) caught the Bangladeshi woodcutters while they were cutting firewood in deep forest of the Bangladesh territory of Bangladesh- Burma border, last four months back. Subsequently, they had been detained in Maungdaw jail of Burma, said a relative of the victims in Naikhongsari to our source.

The arrested woodcutters are from Upazilas of Cox’s Bazar, Ramu and Naikhongchari of Bangladesh, he further added.

On July 7, 2004, the woodcutters were sentenced to 3-year jail sentence in Maungdaw jail, as there were no any movements regarding these woodcutters from the concerned authorities of Bangladesh together with their relatives to set free from the detention in Burma, said our reporter from Maungdaw town.

The family members of the victims gave Tk.30, 000/- to a female member of Ramu through Upazila Chairman of Naikhonchari for trying to release the said woodcutters as the female member has good relation with Nasaka authorities in Burma and she sometimes visited Burma to see her relatives. The female member, after getting the money, she didn’t make any movement to release the woodcutters. As a result, the woodcutters were jailed in Burma, said the victims’ relatives from Ramu.

Hundreds of fishermen and woodcutters have been detaining in Burma and facing acute suffering in the jail. The jailer of the jail made severe harassment against the Bangladeshi prisoners, said Noor Ahmed from Teknaf, who is recently released from Burma jail.

Nasaka abducted Bangladeshi fishermen together with their equipments while they were fishing in the Naf River and nearby Saint Martin Island in Bangladesh territorial water, said a fisherman from Shafuri Dip.

The Nasaka also caught the fishermen and detained in their camps when they were taking shelter at the side of Burma for torrential rain and bad weather conditions, while the fishermen were fishing near Saint Martin Island, he further added.

Besides, the Nasaka arrested and detained the Bangladeshi woodcutters while they were cutting firewood in Bangladesh land territory of Bangladesh-Burma border. However, Nasaka sometimes released woodcutters after taking bribes, said a woodcutter of Naikhongchari Upazila.

At present, hundreds of Bangladeshi prisoners were passing their life in miserable condition in Maungdaw and Akyab jails in Burma, said an official of Burma.

Burma Prime Minister, General Khin Nyunt asked the Bangladesh foreign Minister Morshed Khan to pay him the Bangladeshi prisoners list in Burma while he paid a visit to Bangladesh. But, this list has not been sent yet, according to concerned ministry of Bangladesh, reported in the Daily Ajker Desh Bidesh.

As a result, the family members of the prisoners are facing unnecessary difficulties to maintain their families because of they have no other resource persons and resources. Now, they are working their relative houses and some are begging to maintain their families, said a neighbor of the victims in Cox’s Bazar.

The family members of the victims seek cooperation of the Bangladesh Government to set free the prisoners in Burma, he further added. ##

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