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Drifting in sea without food

Andaman tragedy survivors tell of ordeal

A Correspondent, COX,S BAZAR
Emadad Ullah, 40. watched 19 people die in front of his very eyes 304 of them floated on two boats on the high waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Yesterday, the man who was lucky enough to survive the ordeal over the last eight months, described how he and 116 others survived nine days and nine nights on an engineless trawler and finally reached the Andaman Islands.
Emdad. son of Ahmed Ali of Shah Parir Dwip Majharpara village under Sabrang union in Teknaf upazila, also said there were 259 other Bangladeshis on two other trawlers on their way to Andaman Islands. He had heard that both trawlers had sunk and all aboard them had drowned.
Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BRCS) yesterday brought
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back 175 Bangladeshis, including Emdad who were handed over by India. Some of the survivors talked to the media at the BRCS office on Motel Road in Cox's Bazar town yesterday evening.
Emdad and 116 others set out on a trawler by sea from Teknaf for Malaysia on December 20 last year for work. Manpower agents took Tk 25,000 to 40,000 from each of the men in return for jobs in Malaysia.
Emdad said, after floating on the deep sea for 14 days, they reached the Thailand border • here the Thai navy arrested them. Later five other trawlers were also seized and 463 other Bangladeshis were also arrested.
The Thai Navy kept the 580 captives from six trawlers inside a cave on a hill. They were given nothing but water and dry food. They’ were also beaten frequently.
After seven days, the Thai authority put 580people aboard four trawlers after taking out the engines from the boats, and then floated them in the bay with no food.
The men, Emdad said, floated on the rough waters for nine more days. A total of 302 men in two trawlers reached the coast of Andaman Islands but not before 19 died of diarrhoea during the journey.
"We were on the waters for nine days and nine nights in a small trawler. We had nothing to eat and prayed to God for rain. But there was no rain and we had to drink the salty sea water to quench our thirst. Nineteen
men began to suffer from severe diarrhoea and they perished in front of our eyes," he said.
Md Hashem. 25, of Dhumprang village and Hamid Hossain, 20, of Uttar Lambari village in Teknaf Sadar upazila were also in the same trawler as Emdad. They broke down into tears while describing their ordeal.
Md Hashem said, "I saw many die and thought that was my fate too. I thought I would never again see my parents, brothers or sisters again. I am just thankful to God that I am still alive now."
Hamid Hossain and Md Rafique another survivor said there were 11 middlemen including Moulvi Yunus, Moulvi Mohibullah, Moulvi Sayed of Noyapara in Sabrang union in Teknaf who have been luring poor people with promises of good jobs in Malaysia.
A total of 175 people were returned to Bangladesh the Andaman Islands by India yesterday. Out of them. 145 were brought to Cox's Bazar from Dhaka yesterday afternoon.
Junior Assistant Director of Red Crescent Society Cox's Bazar Zone Akram Ali Khan said, ‘‘the Red Crescent Society has brought taken 175 Bangladeshis in this round, after they were detained at the Andaman Islands while being trafficked to Malaysia by sea. Earlier 49 people were brought back."
1 Ie said that of the returnees, 145 were from Cox's Bazar, 19 from Chittagong, 10 from Bandarban and one from Narsingdi.