Despite ongoing vigilance from law enforcement, rumors abound that human traffickers have secretly resumed illegal people-smuggling in the Bay of Bengal which might spark another boatpeople crisis in the region.
Law enforcerment claims "zero" human trafficking cases this winter, the hay time for people-smugglers, owing to a raid in, and ongoing watch of, the Teknaf area of Cox's Bazar, the main embarkation point along the Bangladesh coast, just across from the Myanmar border.
"Up until now, we have arrested and jailed a total 175 human traffickers including some ringleaders. Human trafficking is zero in the area now," said Ataur Rahman, officer in-charge at Teknaf police station.
"We have been coordinating with border guards and the navy to constantly patrol in vulnerable spots. We also have a public awareness campaign among villagers against trafficking, so there is no such crime happening," Rahman claimed.
However, a source in Cox's Bazar said there were rumors that two small boats containing illegal migrants left for Malaysia last month.
"We heard that two boats collected some Bangladeshis and Rohingyas and set off for Malaysia, the last one was two weeks ago. However, we couldn't verify the rumors," said Zabed Iqbal Chowdhury, a local journalist in Cox's Bazar.
"Winter is the best time for human trafficking, which might be less this year due to the crackdown, but there might be some that slips under the radar," Chowdhury said.
Rahman said the rumors were "baseless." (Courtesy of ucanews.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment