Piracy continues to take lives of fishermen in the Bay of Bengal. Incidents of piracy and attack on different types of fishing boats have risen alarmingly in the recent years in the sea though some measures by the relevant authorities have been taken in this regard. The measures have resulted in the arrest of a number of pirates lately, yet crew members and fishermen do not feel safe to venture out in the waters anymore, as pirates not only loot their catch of the day, they at times kill them to take away the trawler itself. The statistics of the crime rate are quite disturbing. Only one figure shows that at least 40 fishermen were killed in a pirate attack in the Kutubdia channel area of the Bay of Bengal on April 1. The bodies were later recovered by the Bangladesh Navy (BN) and the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG). Many more fishermen also lost their lives in smaller attacks in the past.
It is however good news that the BCG has started special drives in the pirate infested areas in the Bay as well as in the coastal areas.
They have intensified patrolling on the sea and the inland water channels with ships and speedboats to catch the outlaws. Through intensified patrolling BCG on July 1 could rescue 10 fishermen from Kalam Char area at the Hatia offshore island and four fishermen from a gang of pirates after an hour-long gun fight in Chaprakhali of Bagerhat on July 12.
Against the background of rising piracy and deadly attack on fishermen, BCG officials confirmed that they were going to strengthen vigilance on the waterways, especially in the coastal areas and at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong port.
It needs no emphasizing that the high seas and outer anchorage in and around the Chittagong and Mongla ports must be kept pirate free. Fishermen who risk their lives going out into the sea to catch fishes for the citizens deserve protection from the government through the relevant authorities and everything must be done to make the latter’s hands stronger in this respect. If necessary the coast guards and the navy should be given faster vessels and required arms and ammo to fight the pirates who carry deadly weapons like automatic pistols and rifles.
We congratulate the BCG and other agencies for meeting success in arresting a good number of pirates. We hope they will keep up the good show and apprehend many more to make fishing in the Bay safe and profitable for the fishermen.