Desperate Plea to Rescue 420 Fishermen Held by Arakan Army

Families of missing fishermen from Teknaf and St Martin’s Island have issued a heart-wrenching appeal to the Bangladesh government, demanding urgent action to rescue over 420 individuals currently detained by the Arakan Army, an insurgent group from Myanmar. According to the families, these fishermen were forcibly abducted from within Bangladeshi territorial waters over the past five months, yet state efforts to secure their release remain alarmingly absent.

Voices from the Edge of Despair

The plea was made during a seminar titled “Women of the Island: An Ecofeminist Perspective for St Martin’s Island,” organised by the Centre for Critical Discourse at Dhaka University. Among the speakers were Humaira Begum and Rabeya Begum, who travelled from the remote island to the capital to share their plight. Both women lost their husbands in September when they were snatched by insurgents while fishing.

“For five months, I have lived in a vacuum,” Humaira sobbed. “I do not know if my husband is dead or alive. I am struggling to feed my two children on half-meals while facing the crushing pressure of repaying the loans he took to fund the fishing trip.”

Madina Begum, an elderly mother who lost both of her sons to the same group, echoed this sentiment: “I raised them with such hardship after losing my husband young. My only prayer to the government is to let me see my sons’ faces one last time before I die.”

Security Vacuum in the Bay of Bengal

Residents of St Martin’s Island argue that while the government focuses on tourism, the fundamental right to safety for the island’s primary workforce—fishermen—has been neglected. Despite Bangladesh’s legal victories in maritime boundary disputes, the actual security on the water remains precarious.

Political and Academic Critique

The seminar also featured sharp criticism of the government’s perceived “submissiveness.” Meghmollar Bose, President of the DU branch of the Student Union, drew a biting comparison: “If 450 fishermen were held by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), there would be hundreds of protest marches in Dhaka. Because this involves a paramilitary group (Arakan Army) with whom the government is negotiating, there is a deafening silence. This is a failure of sovereignty.”

Professor Sajjad Siddiqui of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies noted that “the absence of war is not peace.” He argued that structural inequalities and the failure to protect citizens within their own borders create a context of ongoing conflict. Similarly, researchers urged the state to view St Martin’s Island through a geopolitical lens rather than merely as a holiday destination.

The families and activists concluded with a singular demand: a transparent status update on the missing men and an immediate diplomatic or security intervention to bring them home.