Bangladeshi Media Must Stop Misrepresenting Illegal Fishing Incidents in Arakan's Waters

News

Global Arakan Network | October 30, 2025

You cannot distort the facts! It is undeniable that these Bangladeshi fishermen illegally entered Arakan's waters, and even some officials from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have already admitted as much.

These officials confirmed that the fishermen trespassed into Arakan's territorial waters, which is precisely why the Arakan authorities arrested them. Efforts are now underway to secure their release.

However, certain Bangladeshi media outlets, such as the Dhaka Tribune and The Daily Star, have repeatedly lied about these incidents. They portray events as if the Arakan Army (AA) "abducted fishermen from Bangladeshi waters." This has happened multiple times, and the founders of these outlets should urgently review their founding principles and media ethics. Is the role of media to report the truth or to spread falsehoods to the public?

A prominent recent example occurred when Arakan authorities arrested a total of 12 fishermen on October 28 and 29 for illegal fishing in Arakan's waters. Yet, these media outlets falsely headlined stories like "Arakan Army abducts 11 fishermen off Teknaf coast" and "Seven Bangladeshi fishermen abducted by Arakan Army from Bay of Bengal." In reality, these titles are outright lies, and the main bodies of the articles are riddled with false information.

What makes this even worse is the misappropriation of photos released by GAN, which the Dhaka Tribune falsely presented as its own. Examine the following picture.

This constitutes a blatant violation of basic media ethics, and the leaders of these media houses must monitor their content more closely and take full responsibility. The writer, Abdur Rahman, should receive a formal warning.