Myanmar has returned nine Bangladeshi fishermen, apprehended over two weeks ago by their Border Guard Police (BGP) from the Naf River in Teknaf upazila, Cox’s Bazar.
The fishermen were handed over following a flag meeting between the border security forces of Bangladesh and Myanmar Wednesday morning.
On November 10, the fishermen were fishing in the south Bay of Bengal, two kilometres away from St Martin's Island.
Suddenly, their fishing trawler broke down and started drifting towards Myanmar's maritime area.
Later, being spotted by a team of BGP, they were picked up and taken to Myanmar’s Hassurata Border checkpoint, Lt Col Faisal Hasan, commander of BGB Battalion 2, said.
Following the incident, BGB had been working to bring them back, he said. “The returnees have been sent to institutional quarantine.”
