Piracy in Deep Sea
By Mohammad Zainal Abedin
A Bengali daily of Dhaka recently (October 4, 2010) flashed a worrisome report saying that hundreds of Indian fishing boats loot fishes entering about 300km inside the water territory of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal. The report said, Bangladeshi fishers do not dare to resist the Indian pirates as they come in groups having modern equipments and lethal weapons. They even chase the Bangladeshi trawlers. Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy cannot identify them as they enter Bangladesh water territory hoisting the national flag of Bangladesh.
The daily apprehended, if the situation continues, the fisheries of the economic zone of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal will face serious setback in future. As the Indian Pirates use current net to catch fish, this asset will one day wither away from our water territory.
Indians fish for hours in Bangladesh territory, particularly in the coastal areas adjoining Greater Barisal and Khulna regions. Eyewitness claimed, they found Indian pirates in Galachipa coast, which is at least three hundred kilometers off Indian territory. 40 to 50 trawlers intrude our water territory in group. They named some of these trawlers as FB Barsha-1, FB Barsha-2, FB Ma Ganga, FB Ma Moni, FB Ma Bhogobati, FB Hairmohon, FB Ma Kali, FB Joy Kali, FB Jagodishor, etc. Shamol Babu, Rashik Das and Mohitosh Paul hailing from Kakdip (island) of India own these trawlers, the daily informed.
Due to the absence of the Coast Guard or the Navy, Indian intruders loot our assets in our internal water territory according to their will. These gigantic trawlers enter Bangladesh territory having 20 to 22 fishermen. All these trawlers have walkie-talkie. They send message through these walkie-talkies whenever they sense any problem and hundreds of trawlers flock together within minutes. Bangladeshi fishers don't get courage to resist the Indians due to such integrated intrusion. The intruders, on the contrary, ask the Bangladeshis to get out of the area. They scare the Bangladeshis showing lethal weapons.
Leaders of the Bangladeshi trawler owner's alleged that such plundering is not a new menace. It continues for years. The fishermen, whenever return from the sea daily narrate their leaders regarding the atrocities of the Indian looters. The issue was repeatedly intimated to the various authorities including the local Coast Guard, Combined Forces, Upazilla and District administrations. But no action was taken from any quarter.
Local leaders related to fishing informed, it takes only three hours for the Indians to enter Bangladesh water territory if they start from Jhawutala, Roydighi or Kakdip of India. So it is not difficult for them to enter and fish in our territory and return back to India. Quoting a number of fishermen hailing from Kuakata of Bangladesh, the daily wrote, Indians avail the opportunity of looting our assets due to the absence of regular patrolling arrangement. Moreover, it takes huge time for a ship of the Navy or the Coast Guard to oversee the huge area under its jurisdiction. As a result, Indians safely loot and return to Indian territory.
Under such situation necessary arrangements are to be made immediately to check the foreign pirates. Other than Indians — Myanmar and even Thai pirates at times loot our fish. The pirates not only loot our assets, they on several occasions, also killed or kidnapped our fishermen or plundered their belongings. They are to be stopped at any cost.
With this end in view, strength of our Navy and Coast Guard, in respect of manpower and equipments, are to be enhanced on an urgent basis. There is no scope to show negligence to our Armed Forces. All the three branches of our Armed Forces should get equal treatment and all of them should get special priority to defend the sovereignty of our country and national interest. All these branches are totally neglected, if we consider the military budgets and preparations of India and even Burma. Myanmar Army or Navy or Air Force earlier never dared to look at us. But now we are scared of them. This happens, as our defense sector is a cruel victim of negligence and indifference. Tough our defense personnel, over the years, emerged as foreign currency earners, no integrated steps are yet to be taken, in the truest sense of the term, to upgrade them even to the level of their Myanmar counterparts. We don't want to go at war with neither of our neighbiours. But it does not mean we will not effectively protect our border either it is land or water or air. The BDR is also to be upgraded and equipped to the level of BSF of India or Naska of Myanmar and it should have a formal naval wing, alongside Navy and Coast Guard. These branches of our defense should not be in name, but meaningful and effective. If we don't work on that line, we simply allow our adversaries to kill people in our borders, smuggle contrabands including arms and explosives into our territory, loot our assets and undermine ability to protect our country and its interest. We have no room to keep our defense forces and preparations weak and subservient and place our integrity, independence and sovereignty at the mercy of our adversaries. We are to repair our loopholes in no time. We have no time to stand and stare.*
(Mohammad Zainal Abedin noa@agni.com)
The daily apprehended, if the situation continues, the fisheries of the economic zone of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal will face serious setback in future. As the Indian Pirates use current net to catch fish, this asset will one day wither away from our water territory.
Indians fish for hours in Bangladesh territory, particularly in the coastal areas adjoining Greater Barisal and Khulna regions. Eyewitness claimed, they found Indian pirates in Galachipa coast, which is at least three hundred kilometers off Indian territory. 40 to 50 trawlers intrude our water territory in group. They named some of these trawlers as FB Barsha-1, FB Barsha-2, FB Ma Ganga, FB Ma Moni, FB Ma Bhogobati, FB Hairmohon, FB Ma Kali, FB Joy Kali, FB Jagodishor, etc. Shamol Babu, Rashik Das and Mohitosh Paul hailing from Kakdip (island) of India own these trawlers, the daily informed.
Due to the absence of the Coast Guard or the Navy, Indian intruders loot our assets in our internal water territory according to their will. These gigantic trawlers enter Bangladesh territory having 20 to 22 fishermen. All these trawlers have walkie-talkie. They send message through these walkie-talkies whenever they sense any problem and hundreds of trawlers flock together within minutes. Bangladeshi fishers don't get courage to resist the Indians due to such integrated intrusion. The intruders, on the contrary, ask the Bangladeshis to get out of the area. They scare the Bangladeshis showing lethal weapons.
Leaders of the Bangladeshi trawler owner's alleged that such plundering is not a new menace. It continues for years. The fishermen, whenever return from the sea daily narrate their leaders regarding the atrocities of the Indian looters. The issue was repeatedly intimated to the various authorities including the local Coast Guard, Combined Forces, Upazilla and District administrations. But no action was taken from any quarter.
Local leaders related to fishing informed, it takes only three hours for the Indians to enter Bangladesh water territory if they start from Jhawutala, Roydighi or Kakdip of India. So it is not difficult for them to enter and fish in our territory and return back to India. Quoting a number of fishermen hailing from Kuakata of Bangladesh, the daily wrote, Indians avail the opportunity of looting our assets due to the absence of regular patrolling arrangement. Moreover, it takes huge time for a ship of the Navy or the Coast Guard to oversee the huge area under its jurisdiction. As a result, Indians safely loot and return to Indian territory.
Under such situation necessary arrangements are to be made immediately to check the foreign pirates. Other than Indians — Myanmar and even Thai pirates at times loot our fish. The pirates not only loot our assets, they on several occasions, also killed or kidnapped our fishermen or plundered their belongings. They are to be stopped at any cost.
With this end in view, strength of our Navy and Coast Guard, in respect of manpower and equipments, are to be enhanced on an urgent basis. There is no scope to show negligence to our Armed Forces. All the three branches of our Armed Forces should get equal treatment and all of them should get special priority to defend the sovereignty of our country and national interest. All these branches are totally neglected, if we consider the military budgets and preparations of India and even Burma. Myanmar Army or Navy or Air Force earlier never dared to look at us. But now we are scared of them. This happens, as our defense sector is a cruel victim of negligence and indifference. Tough our defense personnel, over the years, emerged as foreign currency earners, no integrated steps are yet to be taken, in the truest sense of the term, to upgrade them even to the level of their Myanmar counterparts. We don't want to go at war with neither of our neighbiours. But it does not mean we will not effectively protect our border either it is land or water or air. The BDR is also to be upgraded and equipped to the level of BSF of India or Naska of Myanmar and it should have a formal naval wing, alongside Navy and Coast Guard. These branches of our defense should not be in name, but meaningful and effective. If we don't work on that line, we simply allow our adversaries to kill people in our borders, smuggle contrabands including arms and explosives into our territory, loot our assets and undermine ability to protect our country and its interest. We have no room to keep our defense forces and preparations weak and subservient and place our integrity, independence and sovereignty at the mercy of our adversaries. We are to repair our loopholes in no time. We have no time to stand and stare.*
(Mohammad Zainal Abedin noa@agni.com)
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