The Arakan Army (AA) has issued an official statement reporting that terrorists posing as Bangladeshi fishermen killed one AA security force member and one coast guard member in Rakhine State’s territorial waters, before stealing their weapons and fleeing into Bangladeshi waters. The incident occurred on September 10th.
According to the report, approximately 80 fishing boats from Bangladesh illegally entered Rakhine’s territorial waters west of Koetankaut and Chainkharli villages in Rathedaung Township. After discovering illegal fishing activities starting from around 1 PM, AA coast guard forces pursued the vessels and managed to detain five fishing boats. The detained vessels were being escorted to the shore around 7 PM for legal processing.
However, one of the five detained boats contained armed individuals disguised as fishermen who attacked and killed two AA members, seized their weapons, and escaped into Bangladeshi waters. The AA statement noted that they had previously detained Bangladeshi illegal fishing vessels multiple times and had always handled such cases through mutual respect between the two territories, returning the detained individuals after warnings.
The AA emphasized that this incident was particularly serious as it involved not only a mass intrusion into territorial waters but also the deliberate killing of security personnel and theft of weapons. The organization described these actions as acts of terrorism and stated they would take effective measures in response. The statement highlighted how this incident differed from previous encounters with illegal fishing vessels, which had typically been resolved through diplomatic channels with Bangladesh, and stressed that such violent escalation would not be tolerated.
