24 fishermen returned to Bangladesh after 8-9 months of captivity by Arakan Army

A group of 24 fishermen, including Bangladeshi citizens and Rohingya (FDMN), returned to Bangladesh after being held hostage for eight to nine months by the Arakan Army. They were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the Teknaf-Myanmar Transit Jetty and Naf river zero line on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. During their detention in Myanmar's Rakhine state, they were forced into labor including digging bunkers and repairing roads in hazardous conditions near active conflict zones.