No attempt to rob tourist vessels in Sundarban: Officials

KHULNA, Oct 6  - The recent reports of an alleged attempt by forest robbers to attack a tourist vessel in the Sundarban’ Katka area were not based on facts, according to officials of the Forest Department, Coast Guard, SRB-6 and the Tour Operators Association of Sundarban (TOAS).

They said a suspicious boat was chased by Forest Department personnel in the sea area near Katka on October 3 after fishermen reported its movement.

However, there was no connection between the incident and any tourist vessel.

According to the Forest Department, two tourist vessels, ‘MV Wave-2’ and ‘Aral Sea’, were anchored near the Katka Forest Office at around 9pm that night as part of their scheduled tour.

Katka Range’s Forest Officer Tanvir Hasan Imran said a fisherman informed him by phone that a group of 5-6 fishermen had been chased by a suspicious boat in the sea.

“On receiving the information, my team  and I immediately went to the area in an official boat with firearms. We spotted the boat from a distance and signalled it to stop with lights. But the boat turned around and sped towards the sea after seeing us,” he said.

The Forest Department team fired four blank rounds to stop the boat and chased it for about five kilometres but could not catch it due to the distance, he added.

Tanvir said the matter was immediately reported to the higher authorities and the Coast Guard’s Kochikhali camp.

He expressed surprise over subsequent media reports describing the incident as an attempt to rob a tourist vessel.

“No journalist from any mainstream media outlet contacted me or took my statement. Yet, reports were published quoting me and describing the incident as an attempt to attack a tourist ship,” he said.

He said the two tourist vessels were actually positioned in front of the Katka Forest Office, around 1.5-2 kilometres from the location of the incident, and left the area safely.

“This incident had no connection with any tourist vessel,” he added.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Division Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury also said the incident was not an attempt to rob a tourist vessel.

He said the Katka camp received information about a suspicious boat and Forest Department personnel chased it as part of their routine security operation.

“The incident took place around 1-1.5 kilometres away from the tourist vessel. It was exaggerated in the media that the suspected robbers were moving towards the vessel, which was not the case,” he said.
He said the Forest Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of tourists in the Sundarban and deploys security personnel on tourist vessels.

Coast Guard West Zone Media Officer Lt Commander Mahbub Hossain said the Coast Guard collected information on the ground and spoke to the guests aboard MV Wave-2.

He said a Coast Guard patrol team immediately went to the vessel after learning about the incident but found no evidence of any robbery attempt.

He added that the Coast Guard maintains additional patrols and security arrangements during the tourist season.

SRB-6, in coordination with the Forest Department and Coast Guard, continues to maintain surveillance and security in the Sundarban, it added.

Meanwhile, the TOAS also rejected the reports of an attempted robbery of a tourist vessel.

At a press conference at Khulna Press Club on Monday, TOAS leaders said no tourist vessel was involved in the incident.