Fortune seekers misfortune

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Illegal migration through the Bay of Bengal reached its pick in the recent times as an international racket continues to transport overseas job seekers from Bangladesh and Myanmar in the sea routes to East Asian countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, sources said.
They said the illegal job seekers mostly coming from Costal districts of Bangladesh and Western Myanmar are taking a dangerous journey on fishing boats after paying Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000 for each to the traffickers operating in the Bay.
These rickety boats bound for Malaysia and Thailand are often going down in the deep sea burying dreams of the fortune seekers to death.  
Some 670 people are reported to have downed in several boat accidents in the Bay of Bengal in between 2012 and 2013, according to a report of UNHCR.
The UN agency said, over 86,000 people have left Bay of Bengal on trafficker boats since June 2012 from Myanmar and Bangladesh, headed for jobs in Malaysia. “This includes more than 16,000 people in the second half of 2012, 55,000 in 2013 and nearly 15,000 between January and April this year. The majority of them are Rohingyas, although anecdotally the proportion of Bangladeshis has grown this year,” it said.
It estimates that nearly 50 to 150 Bangladeshis travel to Malaysia every week by boat paying traffickers operating in the sea routes.
Officials said the number even has risen as high as 200 per week recently as November to March has been regarded as pick season for illegal migration though sea routes.
The large trawlers from Malaysia are taking these people from sea near Teknaf and St Martin, they added.
The illegal migrants are reaching deep sea (Bay of Bengal) through the coasts at Sitakunda, Kumira, Chakaria, Maheshkhali, Ukhia and Ramu, Teknaf.
Admitting the matter, Shymal Kumar Nath, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Cox’s Bazar district, told The New Nation on Monday that a cross border syndicate, comprising people from Bangladesh and neighboring Myanmar, who has long been involved in trafficking people through sea routes for many years.
He added: The syndicate has engaged brokers in the costal belts to organize people seeking to earn better money aboard.
Those, who are taking such risky ride, are coming from the poverty stricken families. They are falling prey of the human traffickers, as they see no alternative income source of to maintain their families, Shymal Kumar Nath said.
He however believes that Rohingyas account for majority of the passengers on boat journeys.
“We have already taken various preventive measures,” he said, adding, “Police vigilance on seashores and across district has been intensified with setting up additional check posts at various points”.
Besides, we are keeping close watch on local brokers to avert incidents of the illegal migration.
The Cox’s Bazar district policy have arrested 300 people for their connection with illegal migration and filed about 250 cases against the accused persons. Besides, police have also recovered at least 1000 people who were attempting to illegal migration through sea routes.  
Bangladesh Navy on Monday foiled such an attempt by detaining over 625 people from a Malaysian-flagged trawler in the deep sea.
Lt Commander Mostafa Kamal of Bangladesh Navy’s Saint Martin’s Forward Base said that the trawler was held around 9:30am on Monday from 50 nautical miles off the coast of the island.