Food crisis in Saint Martin’s as vessel movement off for 7 days

Movements of passenger and cargo vessels on the Teknaf and St Martin’s sea lanes have been closed for the last seven days due to several incidents of shootings targeting the Bangladeshi vessels from the Naikhongdia area of the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

Although no casualties were reported, several vessels were damaged. As a result, vessel movement on the Teknaf-St Martin’s sea lane has been called off.

This has led to immense sufferings of at least 10,000 residents of St Martin’s island. The islanders are not able to go to Teknaf even for emergency purposes due to the closure of vessel movement. It is not possible to send daily commodities from Teknaf either. As a result, a food crisis has emerged.

Meanwhile, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are sending letters to the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) protesting the incidents of firing bullets aiming at the Bangladeshi vessels without any reason. However, these letters aren’t coming to work.

The latest incident of shooting was reported on Tuesday when 10-12 rounds of bullets were fired from Myanmar targeting Bangladeshi speed boats carrying a patient around 10:30 am. Although the bullets hit the speedboat, no passengers were harmed.

Before that, on 8 June, 30-40 rounds of bullets were fired from Myanmar towards a cargo trawler by armed Myanmar groups. Although none was harmed, the trawler was hit by seven bullets.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, St Martin’s Trawler Owners Association president Abdur Rashid said the Naikhongdia area was under the control of BGP once. The Arakan Army has taken over some of the border outposts recently.

On 5 June, a trawler carrying election officials and equipment was returning to Teknaf from the island. As soon as it reached the Bodormokam area of the Naf river in the evening, fires were shot targeting the vessel from the Naikhongdia area in Myanmar.

Upazila assistant commissioner (land) Syed Shafkat Ali and other government officials on election duty were on the trawler at the time. Luckily they were not shot.

St Martin’s island union parishad (UP) chairman and Awami League leader Mujibur Rahman said vessel movement along the Teknaf-Saint Martin sea lane was cancelled due to several incidents of firing from Naikhongdia. As a result, it has become impossible to supply daily commodities as well as rice for the poor under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme.

The sufferings of the 10,000 people on the island will further increase unless the firing from the across the border doesn’t stop. It is necessary to further intensify the patrol of the BGB and Bangladesh Coast Guard in the Bodormokam area to normalise vessel movement in the area, he added.

Teknaf-2 BGB battalion captain Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mahiuddin Ahmed said the BGB sent letters to the BGP protesting strongly over the incidents of firing in recent times. However, there has been no outcome.

Teknaf upzila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Adnan Chowdhury said, “It’s not certain as to who are behind these incidents of firing from Myanmar, the BGP or the Arakan Army. Vessel movement along the Teknaf-St Martin’s Island naval route has been called off until the situation improves.”

The main market of St Martin’s island is in the Jetty Ghat area on the eastern part of the island. Speaking to the residents of the islands, it has been learned that most of the shops on the island do not have any stock of daily commodities. Although there are vegetables, flour, edible oil and fuel in some of the shops, the prices are very high. Per piece egg were being sold at Tk 20 and the price of per kg potato soared to Tk 90 on Wednesday in a shop on the northern side of the island.

The shop owner said he stockpiled oil, onions, garlic, ginger, eggs and rice on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha to sell on Eid day. But he is selling those from his stock considering the people’s sufferings. However, the people of the island will have to die starving if the firing doesn’t stop, he added.

St Martin's Island Market Committee general secretary and former union parishad member, Habibullah Khan said, a food crisis has emerged on the island due to closure of vessel movement on the Teknaf-St Martin’s sea lane until further notice. Some 96 shops, 10 vegetable shops and 10 rice shops in the market are empty at the moment.

Cox’s Bazar additional district magistrate (ADM) Md. Yamin Hossen said, “We are trying to send food and other daily commodities to St Martin’s island through the Teknaf coasts instead of the Naf river.

* This report appeared on the online version of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu