The government is taking a hard line on Myanmar citizens who fish in the waters of Bangladesh.
“We have already started confiscating their illegal trawlers from our waters. More steps will be taken against them,” Fisheries Minister Sayedul Haq told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
This step is being taken as per the prime minister’s instruction, he said, adding that many illegal Myanmar intruders are also involved in various types of unsocial activities.
“Thai citizens are also trying to illegally enter the waters of Bangladesh and fish here. For impeding that, the prime minister has also instructed,” he said.
Quoting the prime minister, he said, “Thailand has already lost their fisheries due to illegal fishing. We don’t want to lose it. So, take tougher action against it.”
A total of 199 fishing trawlers, according to the Department of Fisheries, were approved from 1973 to 2011, to fish in the deep sea, but around 40,000 fishing boats and trawlers fish in the area.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has called an inter-ministerial meeting to be held at its conference room on April 20, following the PM’s official instruction for preventing illegal entry and fishing into the waters of Bangladesh.
Naval chief, senior secretary of Home Ministry, inspector general of police, secretaries of different ministries attended the meeting.