Sixty-seven boys, engaged in forced labour in different fishermen's colonies in 13 coastal islands near the Sundarbans, lost their lives in natural disasters, attack by ferocious animals and snakebite from 1998 to 2003.

Revealing the information, a survey report of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) said the 67 victims are among thousands of boys who were brought to the coastal area for forced labour since 1973.

Meanwhile, all the 46 victims of forced labour, rescued by coastguards on October 31 from different fishermen's colonies at Dublarchar, Alokol and Meheralirchar under Sharankhola upazila of Bagcrhat district, were handed over to their guardians on Monday last.

Brought to Dublarchar by shutki (dried fish) traders a month ago for forced labour, these boys hail from Chittagong.

Sylhet, Feni, Brahmanbaria and Bagerhat districts, said Operations Commander of the coastguard Lokman Hakim.

Brokers of dried fish traders picked up the boys from their areas assuring them of good jobs and once taken to the fishermen's colonies, the boys were made to do hard labour from early morning till mid-night everyday, said the coastguard men who rescued the boys.

The minor boys, provided with insufficient food, were subjected to inhuman physical torture if they failed to do hard labour as per order, they said.

"I was brought to Dublarchar a month ago along with others. They said I would be given a good job. But we were engaged in hard work which was beyond our capacity." young Ripon of Chittagong told police.

Sabuj of Sylhet has a similar tale to tell.

A number of boys, kept in confinement in different islands of the Sundarbans, are made to work from sunrise till midnight,

alleged Ripon and Sabuj.

Coastguards arrested Abdus Shukur, Ramijuddin, Ananda Kumar Das, Ayub Ali and Ratan Kumar Das from fishermen's colonies on charge of trapping the boys into forced labour at Dublarchar.

The five brokers of dried fish traders were handed over to Sharankhola Police Station on Monday night.

"Child labour is banned as it is an offence under Section 374 of Bangladesh Penal Code. Permits of dried fish traders will be cancelled if their involvement in engaging minor boys for forced labour is proved. Legal action will also be taken,” Divisional Forest Officer (East) Mihir Kumar told this correspondent.

"We have given permits to 14 fish traders this season for producing shutki fish. The season began in October and will continue till February next year. About 30,000 fishermen gather at Dublarchar every year to work for the purpose," hesaid.