KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Wednesday, February 09, 2005

 

Missing 4, Wounded One at Arakan Coastal

 

Maungdaw, Feb. 09: Nasaka (Burmese Border Security Forces) left a man wounded and 4-other missing at the mouth of Naaf River while a boat, loading with rice sacks tried to smuggle to Bangladesh from Burma on 26th January 2005, said a trader from Inn Din on condition of anonymity who recently crossed border for border trader purpose..

 

A smuggler namely Sayedur Rahman together with four others from Saint Martin of Bangladesh went to the Myint Hlut (Merolla) village of Maungdaw South, Arakan State with a boat to buy rice. After loading about 250 bags of rice in the boat with the cooperation of their partners from the local village and was being smuggled to Bangladesh crossing the Naaf River, he further added.

 

In the mean time, a speed boat of Burmese border security forces, led by Myint Thein, the Commander of the Inn Din Outpost was patrolling in the Naaf River gave signal to smugglers to stop. But, defying the signal, the smugglers were going onward. Therefore, the border security forces opened fire to the boat that left a man wounded and 4 others missing, while the Burmese security forces could able to seize the boat with goods including the wounded man, said Kalam, a relative of wounded person from Saint Martin Island, Bangladesh.

 

The wounded is identified as Sayedur Rahman from Saint Martin of Bangladesh and the 4 others missing people are also from the same village Bangladesh. The left leg of wounded was hit with a bullet and detained him in the Inn Din Outpost of Nasaka Sector No. 8 under Maungdaw Township.

 

On allegation of linking to the partners of Bangladeshi smugglers, Nasaka arrested Abu Taher, 50, son of Gul Hussain, Mohammad Taher, 36, son of Gula Hussain, Baila Mia, 26, son of Gula Hussain, Abu Naser, 26, son of Abu Taher hailing from Inn Din and Abdu Shukkur, 25, hailing from Myint Hlut (Merolla) villages of Maungdaw. But, the response of the both officials of Burma and Bangladesh about the detainee is still unknown to the public, he further said.

 

On the other hand, a controversy among the people have spread out that these 4 people are still alive and hiding in Burma side or killed by Nasaka. If killed, their death bodies were buried secretly by the Nasaka, sources said. ##

 

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