St Martin’s running out of supplies

Amid growing skirmishes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army across the border, movement of vessels between Teknaf and the Saint Martin's Island has become risky, causing uncertainty over supply of food and other essentials to the island.

Bangladesh government's initiative to send provisions to the island had to be postponed yesterday, as the fighting along the border escalated,  threatening the safety of vessels on the Naf river.

The Saint Martin's Island is almost out of food and other supplies after the suspension of vessel movement on the usual route via the Naf. Over the last few days, several trawlers and speedboats had been fired upon from across the border.

St Martin's, which can only be accessed by boats, has not had regular supplies sent to it since June 6.

The tiny island depends on the mainland for almost all of its supplies.

The Cox's Bazar administration yesterday postponed its move to send two supply trawlers to the island from Teknaf. The tourist ship Baro Awlia would set sail for the island from the Cox's Bazar BIWTA jetty today with passengers, food, and supplies, said Mohammad Adnan Chowdhury, Teknaf upazila nirbahi officer.

Mujibor Rahman, chairman of St Martin's Union Parishad, said the food crisis on the island was turning severe. Stocks were running out, resulting in prices skyrocketing.

Fierce clashes were going on between Myanmar junta forces and the rebel Arakan Army in Rakhine state.

Locals of Teknaf said they spent a sleepless night on Wednesday as the sounds of heavy explosions from Myanmar shook their neighbourhoods until 4:00pm yesterday.

A local, Abdur Rahman, said the explosions were so loud that people in his neighbourhood were in a state of panic.

Residents of Teknaf said two Myanmarese warships reached the Naf, on the Myanmar side across Shah Porir Dwip, Wednesday afternoon and then the fighting intensified.

Quoting local public representatives, Teknaf UNO Adnan said warplanes and helicopters were used and at least 300 explosions were heard.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are on alert, he added.

Meanwhile, about 280 people -- mostly labourers who had gone to the island for work -- reached Teknaf on small boats, said Abdur Rashid, president of Trawler Owners' Association of Teknaf-St Martin's route.

The boats avoided the Naf, where the water is usually calm, and reached the west side of Shah Porir Dwip braving the choppy sea.

Kefayet Ullah, a journalist of St Martin's Island, said the sea was rough and travelling on a fishing trawler could be risky.

But many locals of the island who had been stuck in Teknaf braved the rough sea and went home on fishing trawlers.

Meanwhile, Dhaka has written to Naypyidaw, protesting incidents of shooting at Bangladeshi trawlers between Teknaf and the St Martin's Island.

Nobody of Bangladesh should be targeted, a foreign ministry official told The Daily Star yesterday, adding that Bangladesh had protested incidents of shelling inside its territory before.

"Any conflict inside Myanmar is their internal affair, but that should not affect the people and properties in Bangladesh," the official said.

The conflict between the Myanmar junta force and the Arakan Army intensified since February. The junta troops had to step back and many fled to Bangladesh during battles.

The Arakan Army states that the objective of its armed revolution is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan people.