Teknaf, Bangladesh: Five Bangladeshi nationals, detained for two months in a Burmese jail, were handed over yesterday at noon to the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel by Nasaka, Burma's border security force.

The Bangladeshi fishermen went to the Bay of Bengal to catch fish in a fishing boat near Burmese territorial waters. The engine of the boat stalled and it drifted to the Burma side.

The fishermen were caught by Nasaka personnel and sent to jail. They were languishing in jail over the last two months, according to an aide of Nasaka.

The fishermen were brought over by a section of  Nasaka personnel, led by Major Nay Myo of Nasaka headquarters in Maungdaw Township and handed over to the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Company Commander Sirazul Islam of border out-post (BOP) under the 42 BDR Battalion in Teknaf. The BDR personnel took charge of the fishermen from Nasaka on the Naff River, which demarcates the two countries.

The BDR in turn handed them over to Teknaf police station to be sent to their destinations after investigations, a source close to Teknaf police station said.

The Bangladeshis were identified as Zafar Alam, (20), son of Mohammed Amin of Nataung Para, Shamsul Alam (38), son of Abdu Salam of Shapuri Dip, Zubair, (25), son of Mohammed Kasim, Jamil Hossain (40), son of Amir Ahamed of the same union and Mohammed Alam (18), son of late Dil Mohammed of Mosuni village. They all belong to Teknaf union, said Zafar Alam.