New way to send Malaysia voyages

Teknaf, Bangladesh: The agents, who try to send voyages to Malaysia through risky sea route, create a new method to cheat voyages and their safety, using border trade cargo boats for carrying Malaysia voyages, said a boat people watchdog from border.

Main border trade center of Teknaf Land port  for Burma and Bangladesh

“Most the of the rural areas’ Bangladeshi people and Burmese people want to go  Malaysia from Shapuri Dip; Cox’s Bazar and from other places of Bangladesh, but recently Traffickers (Dalals) select Teknaf land-port to send boat-people to Malaysia.”

According to the border trade agreement of Burma and Bangladesh, engine boats from Akyab and Rangoon of Burma carried cargo goods to Teknaf land port of Bangladesh where its carry some goods from Bangladesh to Burma. But, recently for exchange rate up down, the Burmese traders are not carrying any goods to Burma, said an officer of C & F agent from Teknaf.

“The traffickers contact the Burmese cargo boats’ owner/ captain (driver) to carry Malaysia voyages with empty boats while returning to their home port (Akyab / Rangoon). The traffickers secretly board the Malaysia voyages to Burmese cargo boats as per their agreement.”

Burmese cargo boats in Teknaf land port

“The Burmese cargo boats were driving 3 to 4 days in the sea with the voyages and landed on seashore where the owner/ driver said the boat reached at Malaysia and the boats flee away, but, the Malaysia voyages are stranded on the sea beach.”

“The voyages are saved by fishermen or arrested by authority (Bangladesh, India, Burma and Thailand).”

“Within 3 to 4 days, three to four trawlers will go to Malaysia from Teknaf land-port or from the Bay of Bengal nearby Teknaf, said a fisherman from Shapuri Dip.

Traffickers used this kind of fishing boats for Maylaysia voyagers

“The Malaysia voyages are under the management of traffickers --- Md. Sayed, hailed from Bazar Para, Md. Enus, hailed from Konar Para, and Abdu Salam of Mazar Para, hailed from Shapuri Dip. The  main Malaysia voyages are control by Md. Abdu Rahim of Cox’s Bazar, Md. Younus of Shapuri Dip, Ms bilkis Khatoon, Alamgir of Shapuri Dip in Bangladesh and they collected Taka 25,000 to 30,000 per each in advance before getting on trawler, after reaching in Malaysia; another Taka 100,000 has to be paid to another trafficker who lives in Malaysia, or have to give a grantee the money will paid in Bangladesh if no one is in Malysia,” according to boat people watchdog.

Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) arrested 22 boat-people yesterday while going to Maylaysia with shaky trawler from Shapuri Dip of Teknaf, under Cox’s Bazar district and four traffickers ----- Md. Abdullah(19), son of Khobir Ahmed, hailed from Shapuri Dip, Jaffar Alam(18), son of Sultan Ahmed, Robiul Alam(18), son of Md.Issaque, Ahmed( 20), son of Jalal Hossain, Hailed from Zalla Para of Teknaf  on November 9  while paying patrol at the coast of Shapuri Dip, according to BGB official.

“Abdullah confessed that they are only collecting boat people and arranging to board to the boats safely. All the process are controlling by main agents (traffickers)---- Md. Abdu Rahim of Cox’s Bazar, Md. Younus of Shapuri Dip, Ms bilkis Khatoon, Alamgir of Shapuri Dip.”