United News of Bangladesh

Twenty-eight people, including women and children, were rescued early Monday from an attempted trafficking journey to Malaysia during a joint operation by the Coast Guard and police in Teknaf’s Baharchhara area. Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Siam-ul-Hoque said on Tuesday that the operation was launched after intelligence reports indicated that a large group, comprising men, women and children, had gathered on the beach near Kacchapia Ghat in Baharchhara, preparing to embark on a perilous sea journey. Acting on the tip-off, a team from the Coast Guard’s Baharchhara Outpost and local police carried out the joint drive around 1am on Monday. The team found 28 people waiting on the beach to be ferried offshore. During initial questioning, officials learned that several organised trafficking groups had targeted both Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals from Teknaf and other regions, luring them with promises of better opportunities abroad, high-paying jobs and low-cost travel — all part of a larger scheme to smuggle them to Malaysia via dangerous maritime routes. 260 trafficked foreigners rescued from Myanmar scam centers to be repatriated The traffickers managed to escape after sensing the presence of law enforcement personnel, leaving the victims behind. No arrests were made during the operation. Authorities say efforts are underway to identify those involved in the networks, while the rescued individuals have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further procedures. Bangladesh remains among the countries with a high prevalence of modern slavery. According to the 2023 Global Slavery Index, an estimated 1.2 million people were living in modern slavery in Bangladesh on any given day in 2021, a figure that includes internal trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

Two fishermen were injured and four others went missing in a clash with the Coast Guard (CG) over the alleged demand of extortion by the battalion from the fishermen in Barguna district on Tuesday night. A tense situation was prevailing in Patharghata coastal areas following the confrontations between the groups.  General Secretary of Barguna Trawler Owners’ Association Masum Akan said thousands of fishers sailed out for the sea to catch fish after the expiry of the 58-day ban imposed by the government. He said two fishing trawlers, including one of him, returned to the ghat from the sea due to inclement weather on Tuesday morning. Upon arrival, the CG members reportedly charged Tk five lakh as extortion from the fishermen, he alleged. Despite showing authorised documents of the trawlers, the Coast Guard detained their trawlers, leading to arguments between the fishermen and the battalion members, he said. Bridge of Frustration: Design woes stall Barguna’s Sonakata Canal Project for four years Though Patharghata fisheries officials instructed the CG to release the trawlers after showing documents, they did not comply with it, Akan claimed. Around 10pm on Tuesday, the CG started damaging the detained trawlers after being refused to pay the extortion, he said, adding that they also beat two fishermen when they protested. The CG members fired 10 rounds of bullets in blanks when the tense broke out between them, the association’s leader said, forcing the fishermen to hurl brickbats for self-defence and vandalising a motorbike and a pickup van.   He said the two fishermen were injured and four others remained missing in this connection. Akan said, “I gave Tk one lakh to the Coast Guard officer before the Eid holiday. After the Eid holiday, they called me to their station again and demanded the list of trawlers. They are also demanding a large sum of money from this. He further stated that several payments have been made before this.” On information, Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Mizanur Rahman visited the spot and talked to both parties. Joy rises with Hilsa in Barguna despite surging prices Officer-in-Charge of Patharghata police station Mohammad Mehedi Hasan said they requested both groups to remain calm. The UNO, Coast Guard and fisheries department expressed reluctance to comment over the matter.

Coast Guard (CG) members rescued 33 fishers, including six women, from a den of pirates, who allegedly abducted them for ransom a few days back, from a deep jungle in the Sundarbans. The CG men also recovered 16 fishing boats from the den but no pirate could be detained in this regard. All the victims hail from Koyra upazila of Khulna district. According to a CG statement issued on Thursday, the operatives of the notorious Karim Sharif pirate gang abducted the fishers and took away their boats while they were fishing in the Karkari River of the mangrove forest. 50 pirates surrender with firearms in Ctg The pirates took the victims to their den and demanded Tk 10, 000 as ransom to their families against each victim, reads the statement. Acting tipped-off, the CG members from Mongla Base and Nalian Outpost conducted a raid in the river to rescue the victims from 11am to 7pm on Wednesday. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the pirates opened fire in the blank and at one stage they fled the remote forest, said the statement. Later, the fishers were rescued from the den, along with the boats. After giving first-aid at Koyra station of the CG, a process was underway to hand over the victims to their families, it added.

Members of the Coast Guard have arrested six people, including two women, with 11 kilograms of venison near Mongla Ferry Ghat in Bagerhat. The arrestees were identified as Md Sohel Rana, 39, Md Saidul Islam, 47, Md Taijul Islam, 38, Md Rabin, 40, Mukta Begum, 30, and Kolpana Nazu, 30. Among them, the male arrestees are residents of Dhaka’s Keraniganj, while the women hail from Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah, said a Coast Guard media release. Acting on a tip-off, a Coast Guard team conducted a special drive in the area on Tuesday noon. During the operation, the Coast Guard members stopped a microbus carrying the six suspects and recovered the venison. A preliminary interrogation revealed that the group intended to transport the venison to Dhaka for sale. Read: Suspected poacher arrested with 15 kg venison in Bhola The seized venison and the detainees were handed over to the Dangmari Forest Office in the Sundarbans. Surjit Chowdhury, an official at the forest office, said that he had filed a case against the arrestees under the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Act. The suspects were later presented before a Bagerhat court for further legal proceedings, Surjit added.

Bangladesh Coast Guard detained two people along with arms and explosives from separate places  in Bhola sadar upazila on Saturday night. The arrestees are Md Faruk Daulat from the Paschim Ilisha area of Bhola Sadar and Md Hossain Siam from Charsamaiya Union. Lt Commander Rifat Ahmed of the Bangladesh Coast Guard South Zone said they conducted drives Charpata and Charsamaiya unions under Bhola Sadar Upazila. They recovered a country-made firearm, two rounds of blank cartridges, 12 bombs and three locally-made weapons, he said. Besides , 16 government cards for people with disability were recovered from their pocession, he added. The detainees were involved in extortion, land grabbing and creating fear among locals, the commander said. Later, both of them were handed over to Bhola Sadar Model Police Station.    

Firefighting efforts started this morning in the Sundarbans East Zone’s Amurbunia area, following a fire that erupted on Saturday (May 04, 2024). The operation, which began at 9 am on Sunday (May 05, 2024), saw the coordinated efforts of the Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Forest Guard, and Fire Service. The initial response was led by a ten-member team from the Mongla naval base. Following this, members of the Fire Service attempted to set up water extraction from the nearby Bhola River. However, the operation faced a setback due to low tide conditions, delaying the water supply. Probe committee formed over Sundarbans fire Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Zone, stated that logistical challenges prevented the operation from starting sooner. "The Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force joined the Fire Service this morning to accelerate efforts. Local volunteers are also lending significant support," he reported. Mamun Ahmed, Deputy Director of Bagerhat Fire Service and Civil Defense, detailed the deployment of additional firefighting units. "Five units from various locations were dispatched to the site this morning, with three from Mongla, Morrelganj, and Shoronkhola actively engaging in the firefighting efforts. The remaining two units are on standby," he said. Fire breaks out at Sundarbans

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh Coast Guard will be developed as a modern and time-fitting force to carry out its growing responsibility. “Our (its) responsibility will go up in future. Keeping eyes on it, we’ve our own thoughts that we’ll build this Coast Guard as a modern and time-befitting,” she said. The premier was addressing the commissioning ceremony of five locally made state-of-the-art vessels of Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) at BCG Patenga Berth in Chattogram through a videoconferencing from her official residence Ganabhaban here in the capital. PM Hasina commissions five modern Coast Guard vessels The five commissioned vessels are two inshore patrol vessels named 'BCGS Apurba Bangla’ and 'BCGS Joy Bangla,' two tugboats named 'BCGT Pratyay' and 'BCGT Pramatta' and a floating crane named 'BCGFC Shakti.' The two inshore patrol vessels were built by state-owned Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited in Narayanganj, while two tugboats and the floating crane were made by the Khulna Shipyard. Hasina said her government added 154 modern and faster ships and vessels of various sizes to the Coast Guard fleet in the last 14 years since 2009. Besides, 4 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), and 10-meter and 20-meter modern rescue boats from Japan were added to the BCG fleet, she said, adding that a dockyard is also being constructed at Ghazaria for the construction, repair and maintenance of Coast Guard ships and vessels. “Bangladesh Coast Guard will rise to a new level of self-sufficiency or capability if ships are built at its own yard,” she said. PM to brief media on the outcome of her Switzerland visit on Wednesday  The PM said an initiative has been taken to install the digital connectivity between the Coast Guard and Bangabandhu Satellite-1 aiming to bring a revolutionary change in the BCG communication system in the deep sea for national interest and security, and safety of people's life and property. Besides, drone technology has been added to Bangladesh Coast Guard to ensure the security to the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bhasanchar, she said. Noting that there is a huge potential of the country’s blue economy, Hasina said Bangladesh needs to utilize its sea resources and ensure security to the marine resources. So, the government has taken a plan to strengthen this force further by adding two more all-weather and deep-sea Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), a hospital ship, a hovercraft and several high-speed vessels within the 2026-2030 period, she said. “The Coast Guard will have sufficient manpower and will be a mature, sophisticated and exemplary smart force from 2031 to 2041,” she added. The PM asked all the members of Bangladesh Coast Guard to uphold the image and dignity of their force by bearing the spirit of patriotism and performing their duty with honesty and integrity. Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ashraful Hoq Chowdhury, on behalf of the PM, handed over the commissioning forman (order) to the commissioning commanders of the five new vessels. Bangladesh won’t give in to any external pressure: PM Hasina says at SSF anniversary The premier unveiled the name plates of the new vessels added to the BCG fleet. The commissioning parade of the newly commissioned vessels took place. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Senior Secretary of Public Security Division Mustafizur Rahman spoke at the commissioning ceremony, while BCG Director General Rear Admiral Ashraful Hoq Chowdhury delivered the welcome speech. The new vessels are equipped with ultramodern machinery, sensors and surveillance radar. The inshore patrol vessels have three automatic cannons, which will play a vital role in protecting ourselves and running operational activities. The vessels have surveillance capacity of 96 nautical miles and the cannons' range is 4 kilometers and the ships are able to identify anything like other vessels, criminals or enemies within this range while the cannons will help the BCG conduct operational activities smoothly. With the commission of the vessels, the operational activities of the BCG is expected to accelerate along with increase in the capacity to prevent stealing at commercial ships at the outer anchor, control human and drug trafficking through sea, patrol along the blue economy borders and conduct rescue operations in case of natural calamity and maritime accidents.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the government has adopted a plan to increase the number of ships, equipment and manpower for Coast Guard as per the Vision 2030 and Vision 2041 modernisation plans for ensuring blue economy and security at sea.   “Procurement of four more OPVs, nine replacement vessels, two maritime version helicopters for deep sea patrols has been approved,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while speaking at the 28th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Medal Giving Ceremony held at the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. In order to modernise and strengthen the Bangladesh Coast Guard, the Prime Minister said that advanced technology ships, maritime surveillance systems, hovercrafts and high-speed boats are going to be added to this force very soon.   She mentioned that an initiative has also been taken to establish a digital connection with Bangabandhu Satellite-1 to bring about a revolutionary change in the communication system of the Bangladesh Coast Guard in the deep sea.  Also Read: Help people in villages in cultivation activities: PM to Ansar and VDP Hasina said that in continuation of this, from 2009 to 2022, various types of infrastructures including Coastal Crisis Management Centres have been built at Coast Guard stations and outposts in coastal and remote areas of the country to make the Coast Guard skilled and stronger. She also said that vessels of various sizes have been constructed.   “Under various development projects, accommodation, barracks and administrative buildings have been constructed in the zones of the Coast Guard,” she said. The Prime Minister mentioned that training capacity of the Coast Guard manpower was also enhanced by setting up its own training base in Patuakhali, named BCG Base Agrajatra'.   She said inshore patrol vessels, floating cranes, tug boats and various types of high speed boats have been developed for the Bangladesh Coast Guard under various developmental projects.   “Combat uniforms have recently been introduced for the force, which I believe will help boost morale for all members.” Hasina said that a dockyard is being constructed at Gajaria in Munshiganj district to increase the repair and maintenance capacity of this force. Read More: Sustainable Development: Separate ministry for blue economy proposed She said that Coast Guard has been playing a special role in the economic development of the country by ensuring the proper use of marine resources in Bangladesh waters. In this connection, she said that the motto of this force is ‘Guardians at the Sea’. The meaning of this is to establish it as a true friend of the people in the sea and coastal areas. The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh Coast Guard has already shown itself as a true friend to the innocent and oppressed people in the coastal areas of the country by preventing wrongdoing and misdeeds.   She said that every member of this force is now strong in the spirit of patriotism and liberation war. She also mentioned that members of Coast Guard are working tirelessly for the interests of the country when risks are there.  She said that this force gives security for the  sea ports, prevent drug smuggling, arms smuggling, human-trafficking, illegal and unregulated fishing, control and prevention of sea and river pollution and piracy.  Earlier, the Prime Minister handed over the medals to Coast Guard members for their bravery and special achievements. Read more: Blue Economy: Dhaka calls for joint efforts to harness marine resources A video documentary on the activities of the Coast Guard was screened on the occasion. She witnessed a colourful cultural programmes and planted a tree sapling. Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the newly constructed Laxmipur Coast Guard Station through unveiling its plaque virtually from the coast guard headquarters end. At the function, the Prime Minister also handed over Bangladesh Coast Guard Medal, President Coast Guard Medal, Bangladesh Coast Guard Medal Sheba and President Coast Guard Medal Sheba among selected members of the Coast Guard including its Director General Rear Admiral Ashraful Haque Chowdhury. Read More: Blue Economy Dev: Govt to take project on Tuna, similar pelagic fishing in deep Sea

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) conducted a raid on the river Naf in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar district and seized 2.1 lakh contraband yaba pills early Monday.  Media officer of the BCG headquarters here Lt. Commander Abdur Rahman said that based on secret information, a special operation was conducted in the Naf river by BCG station Teknaf under BCG East Zone at around 2:15 am.  During the operation, the BCG members saw a locally made dinghy coming towards the Bangladesh water territory from the Myanmar frontier in the Naf River area of Sabrang Noapara.  Read more: BGB recover 70 thousand yaba worth Tk 2.1 core from Naf river As the boat crossed the border, the movement of the boat appeared suspicious and a Coast Guard member signaled the boat to stop. Realizing the presence of the Coast Guard, someone on the boat threw two yellow plastic bags into the water and quickly fled to the border of Myanmar. Later, Coast Guard members picked up the two sacks from the water and searched and seized 2 lakh 10 thousand pieces of yaba tablets, Lt. Commander Abdur Rahman said.   He further said that the seized Yaba consignment was handed over to Teknaf Model Police Station for further legal action. 

Members of Coast Guard (CG) seized 1,020 kilograms of shrimp injected with unhealthy jelly in the Meghna River on Tuesday. Lieutenant Commandant Khandakar Munif Taki, media officer of the CG Dhaka Zone, said acting on a tip-off a drive was conducted in Alubazar Ferry Ghat area and it seized the shrimps weighing around 1020 kilograms from a trawler. Read more: Shrimps inflated with jelly seized in Jashore Later, the shrimp injected with the jelly, which is considered to be injurious to health, were buried in presence of the upazila’s fishery officer and law enforcers, he added.