The government has extradited 91 Myanmar fishermen who intruded the country’s territorial waters for fishing in December last year, offering them clemency for trespassing, Bangladesh embassy in Yangon said in a statement today. In coordination with the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka, the handing and taking over took place in Ghundhum and Taungbro border on the 30th November 2016, the statement read. It said the intruder fishermen were returned in presence of concerned authorities of both the countries through a flag meeting between Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) and Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP). The Myanmar fisherman entered into the Bangladesh waters in 12 fishing boats and was captured by Bangladesh authorities for illegal entry. Bangladesh received formal request for their clemency through Myanmar Embassy in Dhaka on June 23, 2016 on the ground that those fishermen entered Bangladesh waters inadvertently due to navigational failure, the statement said. It added: In the spirit of good neighborliness and in accordance with the provisions of the Border Arrangement and Cooperation of 1980′ with Myanmar, Bangladesh authorities granted them clemency. The 1980 border arrangement, the statement said, provides ground rules and procedures for differential treatment of cases of undetected illegal entry with malicious intents and inadvertent border crossing. Bangladesh expects Myanmar to also treat such cases of innocent border crossing respecting the spirit of the 1980 Border Arrangement, it said.
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