The Bay of Bengal, the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is of great political, economic, and cultural importance to its coastal countries of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. With maritime trade, fishing, and tourism being the region’s most significant economic activities, it faces a variety of maritime security issues, including illicit trade, piracy, armed robbery, and illegal fishing.
Incidents of human trafficking after the influx of the Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017, piracy, and attacks on seamen at the cargo and fishing trawlers and engine boats are increasing by the day. Crews, boatmen, fishermen, and owners of cargo trawlers and engine boats are not safe in the Bay of Bengal as the pirates attack them at the offshore areas on the sea. Particularly, the fishermen cannot go to the sea due to rampant incidents of attacks of pirates on fishermen. Fishermen of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar are suffering a lot. In this situation, the role and involvement of law enforcement agencies becomes crucial to combat the maritime security threat….