December 19, 2024
DHAKA – A shipment of rice from Myanmar’s Maungdaw port, controlled by Arakan Army (AA), has put the Teknaf Customs authorities in a limbo.
The consignment of rice weighing 19 metric tonnes arrived at Teknaf land port of Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday evening with the documents sealed and signed by the Arakan Army.
After scrutinising the documents, the Teknaf Customs have yet to make a decision about the consignment due to lack of proper documents.
After scrutinising the documents, the Teknaf Customs have yet to make a decision about the consignment due to lack of proper documents. PHOTO: THE DAILY STAR
According to reports international media reports, the rebel group AA is now controlling the northern part of Rakhine State after fierce clashes with the Myanmar military. It is also has established control over the entire 270-kilometre border with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh doesn’t have any official ties with AA.
The consignment from the non-state actor has created speculations among people in Teknaf, which lies on the other side of Naf river across Maungdaw district.
Asked, the customs officer at Teknaf land port, BM Abdullah Al Masum, said, “Due to improper documentation, we did not allow to release the consignment of rice from Maungdaw from the trawler.
“They do not have any proper clearance of goods and the importer does not have permission to bring rice from Myanmar,” Masum said, adding that they have informed the higher authorities about the development.
The consignment will be seized if the importer fails to produce proper documents, he added.
The documents submitted to the Land Port Authority reveal that the rice import have been approved by Arakan Customs Service under Arakan People’s Authority. The seal of the Arakan People’s Government is also stamped on the documents. The document written in Arakan has two signatures.
Custom officials said this is the first time the AA has signed bilateral trade documents which so far has been issued by the Customs Department under the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
According to traders and workers of the land port, a company — Tradelink Marine Line Company — owned by one Mohammad Selim bought 19 tons (384 sacks) of rice from Rakhine Maungdaw township.
They said the company bought the rice for some traders in Teknaf and Chattogram and also for some Rohingyas.
As Selim does not have rice importing license, the rice owners used the documents of Shawkot Ali Chowdhury, proprietor of Messrs. Jinnah and Brothers.
When asked how he brought rice from the Arakan Army controlled port while the government has no official connection with the rebel group, Shawkot said he had brought the rice on behalf of Mohammad Selim of Teknaf. He arranged everything, he said.
Contacted, Selim said, a trader of Chattogram, who has approval to import rice from Myanmar, will release the rice from the port on Thursday.
However, he couldn’t provide the contact number of the trader whom he identified as Sajib.
Md. Jamal Hossain Majhi, a Rohingya living in Maungdaw’s Jambunya village, brought the rice at the Teknaf land port.
He said, “We have reached Teknaf land port with 384 sacks of rice from Khayungkhali Canal in Maungdaw. We could not off load yet due to complications in the documents”.
He also said a businessman named Tu Meng See from Maungdaw town in Rakhine loaded their trawler with the clearance of the Arakan Army.
“After an hour’s journey we reached Teknaf port. Meanwhile, the BGB and Coast Guard searched the boat in Naf River and let us come to the port,” he added.