Naf River

Naf River
View of the Naf River

Naf River (Burmese: နတ်မြစ် [naʔ mjɪʔ]; Arakanese: နတ်မြစ် [nɛ́ mràɪʔ]; Bengali: নাফ নদী Naf Nodi IPA: [naf nod̪i]) is a river marking the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Naf River's average depth is 128 feet (39 m) and maximum depth is 400 feet (120 m).

Historically, Shapuree Island located at the mouth of the river, plays an important role and is considered as one of the immediate causes for the first Anglo-Burmese War.

Attacks on Fishermen and Refugees

Regular incidents in which fishermen and refugees were shot by Myanmar Army troops, and refugees were repelled by Bangladeshi troops have occurred on the Naf River. These include, but are not limited to, the following events:

February, 1992- The Lun Htin, A Burmese paramilitary force killed 20 refugees while crossing the Naf river to Bangladesh.[1]

March 24, 1994- Members of the Myanmar Army's Western Military Command patrolling the Naf River found a group of Rohingya Muslims fishing from a small country boat. The soldiers tried to extort money from the fishermen, but when they were unable to do so, tied them up with rope and brought them to Balu Khali Village in Maungdaw Township.[2] Eight of the Rohingya fishermen were interrogated and tortured for five days and then they were all shot by firing squad.[2]

October 27, 2001- Burmese border troops killed one Bangladeshi man, wounded two and abducted 13 while they were fishing in the Naf River.[3]

January 22, 2005- 70 people were shot and killed when Burmese border guards opened fire on a group of 50 boats attempting to cross the river. The border guards claimed that they believed the boats contained "smuggled rice," implying that their actions, culminating in the mass shooting of unarmed people was justified.[4]

Summer, 2012- Hundreds if not thousands of Burmese Rohingya people were forced to flee their homes, and have sought refuge across the Naf River to Bangladesh,[5][6] often to be repelled or escorted back by Bangladeshi troops.[7][8] On July 11, 2012 Burmese President Thein Sein suggested that the Rohingya people be expelled from Myanmar or have the UN relocate the 300,000 Rohingya people living in Myanmar, a policy the UN quickly rejected.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Arakan: A Field of Muslim Genocide, News From Bangladesh". bangladesh-web.com.
  2. 1 2 "Online Burma Library > Main Library > Human Rights > Various Rights > Various rights: reports of violations in Burma > Burma Human Rights Yearbooks (1994-2008)". burmalibrary.org.
  3. ↑ "Burmese troops kill one, abduct 13, says Dhaka". arabnews.com.
  4. ↑ "2. Extra-judicial Killing, Summary or Arbitrary Execution". burmalibrary.org.
  5. ↑ "Backgrounder: the Rohingya of Myanmar - Geopoliticalmonitor.com". Geopoliticalmonitor.com.
  6. ↑ Burma: Mass Arrests, Raids on Rohingya Muslims, Human Rights Watch, July 5, 2012
  7. ↑ Dwaipayan Barua (12 June 2012). "Border guards push back 500". The Daily Star.
  8. 1 2 Syed Zain Al-Mahmood (7 August 2012). "Persecuted Burmese tribe finds no welcome in Bangladesh: Bangladesh turns away and bans aid to thousands of displaced Muslim Rohingya people trying to cross river to Teknaf". The Guardian.
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Coordinates: 20°43′N 92°22′E / 20.717°N 92.367°E / 20.717; 92.367

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