2 ships held by Arkan Army arrive at Teknaf port after 4 days

Two cargo ships held by Myanmar’s Arakan Army for four days have been released on Monday.

The boats, which were en route from Yangon, Myanmar, to the Teknaf land port in Cox’s Bazar, were detained on Thursday while navigating through the Naf River.

At 10am on Monday, two of the detained boats departed from the Naf River boundary at Naikhyongdia, heading toward the Teknaf land port, while the others remained scattered across different locations.

The cargo boats, which were carrying various goods including 50,000 bags of dried fish, betel nuts, and coffee, were initially intercepted by the Arakan Army at the mouth of the Naf River.

Teknaf Land Port Manager Syed Anwar Hossain said, “The Myanmar armed group Arakan Army stopped three ships carrying goods from Myanmar on their way to Teknaf Land Port. They said that they would check the documents of the goods and kept the three ships in their custody. After releasing them later, the two ships anchored at the port's jetty on Monday afternoon.”

Teknaf Land Port C&F traders say the Arakan Army has created a new trap. They want Bangladesh to talk to both sides and find a permanent solution to the issue.

Although three ships have been detained, two have so far reached Teknaf port. The other is still held hostage by the Arakan Army, traders said.