Bangladesh/Myanmar: The Bangladesh Navy has seized 1700 bags of cement from two fishing boats and detained 20 people on board who were bound for Myanmar’s Rakhine State, according to a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Bangladesh Armed Forces on 2 June 2026. The Navy intercepted the two boats during a patrol in the Bay of Bengal. According to the report, authorities recovered 900 bags of cement from a vessel named Ma-2 and 800 bags from another named Nishan-2. 20 individuals were arrested for attempting to illegally smuggle the cement into Myanmar.
During initial questioning, the detainees admitted they were trafficking the cement to Rakhine State in hopes of turning a high profit. Both the seized cargo and the suspects have been handed over to the police for processing. Since the resurgence of the conflict in May 2023, the Myanmar military junta has strictly prohibited the transport of goods from central Myanmar into Rakhine State. As a result, the region has relied heavily on consumer goods imported from India and Bangladesh through informal agreements. However, the Bangladeshi government has actively cooperated with the Myanmar military regime to restrict such movements.
