India, Bangladesh to exchange 185 jailed fishermen on Jan 5

India and Bangladesh will exchange 185 imprisoned fishermen on January 5, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the MEA said in recent months several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities who “inadvertently” crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line and entered the country’s waters.

The MEA also said several Bangladesh fishermen had also been apprehended by Indian authorities.

“Earlier today, 95 Indian fishermen were handed over by Bangladesh authorities to the Bangladesh Coast Guard for handing over to the Indian Coast Guard on January 5. On the same day, 90 Bangladesh fishermen will also be released in a mutual release and repatriation operation that will be concluded at sea between the respective Coast Guard authorities,” it said.

The MEA said the mutual exchange of fishermen and their vessels had been worked out keeping in mind the “humanitarian and livelihood concerns” of fishing communities on both sides.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Advisor in the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Mohd Touhid Hossain, was quoted by media in his country saying, “If everything (formalities) goes as per schedule, the exchanges will take place on Sunday.”

This is the first goodwill gesture between the two countries since Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka in mid-December and discussed a wide-range of issues with his counterpart.

A total of 90 Bangladeshis detained at different times near India are in prison. The reports also said there were 95 Indian fishermen in Bangladeshi prisons.

Two Bangladeshi trawlers with 78 crew members were detained by the Indian Coast Guard on December 10 last year for allegedly fishing "illegally" in Indian waters, who were later handed over to police in Odisha’s Paradeep.

Earlier in September last year, 12 more Bangladeshi fishermen were arrested when their trawler sank in Indian waters, the reports said.

A total of six Indian trawlers entered Bangladeshi waters in September and October.

The reports stated that a part of the transfer process, the 95 fishermen have already been released from Bagerhat and Patuakhali prisons.