Teknaf, Bangladesh: Agents who try to send migrants to Malaysia from Bangladesh and western Burma via risky sea routes have created a new method to cheat voyagers using border trade cargo boats to transport travelers, said a boat person watchdog at the border.
“Most the of the rural areas’ Bangladeshi people and Burmese people want to go to Malaysia from Shapuri Dip, Cox’s Bazar, and from other places in Bangladesh, but recently traffickers (dalals) have selected Teknaf as a land port to send boat-people to Malaysia.”
According to the border trade agreement between Burma and Bangladesh, engine boats from Sittwe (Akyab) and Rangoon of Burma can carry cargo goods to the Teknaf land port of Bangladesh, where some goods from Bangladesh can also be carried to Burma. However, with the recent rise in the exchange rate, the Burmese traders are not carrying any goods to Burma, said an officer of C & F Agents from Teknaf.
“The traffickers contact the Burmese cargo boats’ owners/captains with empty boats to carry voyagers on their way to Malaysia while returning to their home port (Sittwe/Rangoon). The traffickers secretly board the voyagers on Burmese cargo boats as per their agreement.”
“The Burmese cargo boats with the travelers travel 3 to 4 days on the sea, then land on seashore where the captain announces that the boat has reached Malaysia, and the boat flees away. But really, the voyagers are stranded on the sea beach.”
“The voyagers are saved by fishermen or arrested by the authorities of Bangladesh, India, Burma, or Thailand.”
Within the next few days, three-to-four trawlers will go to Malaysia from Teknaf land port, or from the Bay of Bengal nearby Teknaf, said a fisherman from Shapuri Dip.
“The voyagers to Malaysia are under the management of traffickers: Md. Sayed from Bazar Para, Md. Enus from Konar Para, and Abdu Salam of Mazar Para, who hails from Shapuri Dip. The main Malaysian voyages are controlled by Md. Abdu Rahim of Cox’s Bazar, Md. Younus of Shapuri Dip, Ms. Bilkis Khatoon, and Alamgir of Shapuri Dip in Bangladesh, and they collect Taka 25,000 to 30,000 per person in advance of allowing them on the trawler. After reaching Malaysia, another Taka 100,000 has to be paid to another trafficker who lives in Malaysia, or have a guarantee the money will be paid in Bangladesh if no one is in Malaysia,” reports a boat person watchdog.
The Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday arrested 22 boat people who were going to Malaysia on a shaky trawler from Shapuri Dip of Teknaf, as well as four traffickers: Md. Abdullah (19), son of Khobir Ahmed, who hails from Shapuri Dip, Jaffar Alam (18), son of Sultan Ahmed, Robiul Alam (18), son of Md. Issaque, and Ahmed (20), son of Jalal Hossain, who hails from Zalla Para of Teknaf. The arrest occurred on November 9 while the boat stopped to pay for patrol on the coast of Shapuri Dip, according to a BGB official.
“Abdullah confessed that he and the others were only collecting boat people and arranging them to board the boats safely. All the processes are controlled by the main agents (traffickers): Md. Abdu Rahim of Cox’s Bazar, Md. Younus of Shapuri Dip, Ms. Bilkis Khatoon, and Alamgir of Shapuri Dip.”
