{"id":122198,"date":"2022-01-17T17:11:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T00:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=122198"},"modified":"2022-01-17T17:11:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T00:11:00","slug":"bangladeshs-role-in-combating-maritime-threat-in-the-strategic-bay-of-bengal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2022\/01\/17\/bangladeshs-role-in-combating-maritime-threat-in-the-strategic-bay-of-bengal\/","title":{"rendered":"Bangladesh\u2019s Role In Combating Maritime Threat In The Strategic Bay Of Bengal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jubeda Chowdhury from Dhaka, Bangladesh<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The Bay of Bengal, the northeastern\npart of the Indian Ocean, is of great political, economic, and cultural\nimportance to its coastal countries of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar,\nThailand, and Indonesia. With maritime trade, fishing, and tourism being the\nregion’s most significant economic activities, it faces a variety of maritime\nsecurity issues, including illicit trade, piracy, armed robbery, and illegal fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incidents of human trafficking after\nthe influx of the Rohingya refugees\u2019 influx to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017,\npiracy, and attacking seamen at the cargo and fishing trawlers and engine boats\non the seaway are increasing day by day. Crews, boatmen, fishermen, and owners\nof cargo trawlers and engine boats are not safe in the Bay of Bengal as the\npirates attack them at the offshore areas on the sea. Particularly, the\nfishermen cannot go to the sea due to rampant incidents of attacks of pirates\non the fishermen.  Fishermen of Chittagong and Cox\u2019s Bazar are now\nsuffering a lot. In this situation, the role and involvement of law enforcement\nagencies are needed here to combat this maritime security threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the US declared\nan \u2018Indo-Pacific strategy\u2019 to combat traditional and nontraditional security\nthreats in the strategic Bay of Bengal. Combating piracy and human trafficking\nis one of the main goals of the US IPS strategy. Regional countries such as the\nUSA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and members of BIMSTEC countries\ncan work together to deal with the maritime problems. Bangladesh\u2019s law\nenforcement agencies such as the Coast guard, Navy, Special elite force RAB can\nwork together with other regional stakeholders in this regard. RAB has been\nplaying a key role in this regard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, RAB-15 arrested 6\npirates in a raid on the Maheshkhali channel in the Bay of Bengal recently.\nWeapons and ammunition were recovered from them at that time. At a press\nbriefing in the Khurushkul Ghat area around 1 pm on Friday, RAB commander\nKhairul Islam Sarkar confirmed the operation. However, the identities of the\ncaptured pirates were not immediately known. The RAB commander said that for a\nlong time, the pirates had been carrying out various misdeeds including boat\nrobbery, the beating of fishermen, looting, and kidnapping of fishermen at sea.\nOn the basis of such allegations, we carry out intelligence activities in the\nsea on the Maheshkhali channel. Later on, Friday night from 9:30 to 12 o’clock\nthe operation was able to arrest the pirates. At that time, they had three guns\nand 11 rounds of ammunition. “We have started operations against pirates\nin the coast as well as in the sea,” he added. We will continue this\ncampaign. The RAB commander also mentioned that the detainees were involved in\npiracy on the basis of interrogation and action would be taken against their\ngodfathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the media reports,\nRapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested 10 pirates following a drive in the\nBay of Bengal on Cox\u2019s Bazar 6 arms and 37 round ammunitions were seized in\n2018. Three women were kidnapped by pirates. They were arrested from the deep\nsea early on Monday morning. The arrested pirates are said to be members of\nthree forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pirates were robbing two fishing\ntrawlers on the deep sea at around 12 pm on Sunday. After the robbery, the\npirates kidnapped three middle-aged men in the trawler. After getting\ncomplaints from other fishermen, RAB launched operations in the sea. RAB was\nrescued at one stage and rescued three women. 10 pirates were arrested in the\nmeantime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A team of Rapid Action Battalion\n(RAB) seized huge Yaba tablets in the Bay of Bengal on March 14, 2016, while\nbeing smuggled to Bangladesh from Burma by the sea route. Members of Rapid\nAction Battalion-15 have seized a large consignment of 1.3 million yachts\nsmuggled from Myanmar to Cox’s Bazar in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to media reports, pirates have shifted their\nattention to the deep sea from the Sunderbans as the Rapid Action Battalion\ncontinues its raids and vigilance in the mangrove forest. Pirates regularly rob\nfishermen, kidnap them for ransom and even kill them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government\nis going to strengthen vigilance on its water territory especially on the\ncoastal areas and outer anchorage of Chittagong port with a view to check all\nsorts of piracy. The concerned authorities including RAB, BN, BCG and WTMC, and\nBangladesh Cargo Trawlers Owners Association are taking special security\nmeasures to resist piracy on the Bay of Bengal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAB can play a key role in this\nregard. They have training from the US. They have modern sophisticated\ntechnologies. Basically, they have been playing their role in combatting this\nmaritime threat.  Thus, they can work with other stakeholders in this\nregard. Those who are still involved in piracy, the RAB rehabilitates them if\nthey surrender. But the RAB won’t spare them if the piracy doesn’t end. The RAB\nwould do whatever necessary to suppress the pirates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite having many challenges, all\nregional actors should make immense progress on improving coastal welfare,\ndeveloping the blue economy, building capable maritime enforcement entities,\nand strengthening mechanisms for international and regional maritime\ncooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maritime\nsecurity and countering terrorism and other crimes in the Indian Ocean and Bay\nof Bengal have emerged as a focus area for India as part of its Indo-Pacific\nstrategy and the doctrine of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmain task of this alliance will be to maintain security in the sea area and\nstop human trafficking and smuggling. The members of the alliance will also\nwork on providing mutual humanitarian assistance. To this end, they will\nprovide mutual training to their Navies and Coast Guards for the next year.\nMember States will conduct Naval exercises that would be a milestone for the\nIOR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka has also faced an increase\nin heroin use within the country, as well as becoming a transit country for\ntrafficking destined for other places. Much of the heroin entering Sri Lanka\narrives on fishing boats or by air, often coming through India or Pakistan. The\nnumber of seizures that Sri Lankan authorities have conducted remains\nrelatively small, meaning that the data collected is not always reliable.\nSmugglers in Sri Lanka have come from a variety of countries, including\nPakistan, India, Iran, and the Maldives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\nIndia also suffers from petty theft and attempts at armed robbery on board\nships at anchor near busy ports, the main threat arises out of the maritime\ndimension of terrorism, especially landing of terrorists as well as of arms and\nexplosives. These are also linked with drug trafficking. The shallow waters and\ncreeks of the Gujrat coast, especially of the Kutch region, now under immediate\nsurveillance of the maritime wing of the Border Security Force (BSF), as well\nas the seacoasts of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the sensitive areas and\nunder constant surveillance of the Navy and the Coast Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India face\npiracy, illegal fishing, and human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal. Although\nthe Bangladeshi Navy and the Coast Guard are very active in the region, the\nperpetrators are very clever. The Rohingya crisis worsened the situation.\nVarious gangs are involved in human trafficking. Bangladeshis are trafficked to\nMalaysia, Thailand, and North Africa to Greece and Italy (Europe) through the\nmarine route via the Mediterranean Sea. The role of Bangladesh RAB is very\npositive here. It has been working to combat this maritime threat in the\nstrategic Bay of Bengal. USA, India, Sri Lanka have the same policies in the\nIndian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. Thus, the authorities of the USA, India, Sri\nLanka can and should work with Bangladesh law enforcement agencies such as RAB in\ncombatting this maritime threat. So, recent US sanctions on RAB are very\ninappropriate. USA, India should understand that RAB is on the security\nguarantee in the region including the Bay of Bengal. The US should lift its ban\non RAB.  RAB\u2019s role in combatting human trafficking, illegal drug\ntrafficking is huge. Tom Kelly said Bangladesh has a special role to play in\nthe security of the Bay of Bengal due to its location in an important region.\nThe United States is hopeful that Bangladesh will continue to support maritime\nsecurity. He said uninterrupted navigation in the Bay of Bengal is essential\nnot only for Bangladesh but also for the countries of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to a question on the\nsecurity of the Bay of Bengal, Mustafa Kamal said that there is no piracy in\nthe economic zone of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal. However, there is a need\nto increase the capacity of the Navy and Coast Guard to ensure security in\nlarge maritime areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A better defense relationship\nis needed in the interests of both countries,” said Tom Kelly. We will\ncontinue to work together for the common goal of stability, peace and\nprosperity in the region, “said David Cook, chief of The Christian Science\nMonitor’s Washington bureau. The United States is interested in cooperating in\ncounterterrorism, maritime security and peacekeeping operations. However, the\nUS, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India can and should work together in combatting\nthis maritime threat. The United States has pledged continued support to\nBangladesh to play an important role in ensuring security in the Bay of Bengal\nin 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Kelly, the Deputy Chief of Staff\nof the US State Department’s Political and Military Affairs, told reporters\nafter the third Bangladesh-US security dialogue in Dhaka on Tuesday. Not\nonly Bangladesh, countries like India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and all States\nacross the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal face the same problems. Regional\ncooperation is much needed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jubeda Chowdhury from Dhaka, Bangladesh The Bay of Bengal, the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is of great political, economic, and cultural importance to its coastal countries of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. With maritime trade, fishing, and tourism being the region’s most significant economic activities, it faces a variety of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122198\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}