2008 Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff
The 2008 Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff was a naval standoff between the Bangladesh Navy and the Myanmar Navy over disputed territory in the northeastern Bay of Bengal. The standoff ended after diplomatic negotiations. In 2012, the two countries resolved their maritime boundary disputes at an international tribunal.
| 2008 Bangladesh-Myanmar Naval Standoff | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Fakhruddin Ahmed Sarwar Jahan Nizam |
Than Shwe Nyan Tun | ||||||||
Background
The Bay of Bengal has large untapped reserves of oil and natural gas.[1] In November 2008, Myanmar allowed the South Korean company Daewoo to explore the seabed in an area 50 nautical miles south-west of St. Martin's Island.[2] The area was contested between Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their respective exclusive economic zones.
Standoff
Citing international law, Bangladesh asserted that Myanmar should not allow exploration activities in disputed territories until a resolution. After Bangladeshi requests were not heeded, the Bangladesh Navy deployed three warships in the area, including the BNS Abu Bakr, BNS Madhumati and BNS Nirbhoy.[3] Myanmar deployed at least two naval vessels.[4]
Negotiations
The Government of Bangladesh said Myanmar was operating well within disputed territory. The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Towhid Hossain summoned the Myanmar ambassador and later himself flew to Yangon with a team of Bangladeshi diplomats. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, the interim Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, vowed that his country would protect its sovereignty and territory with "all necessary measures".[5][6] There was no statement from Myanmar.[2]
Withdrawal
On 7 November 2008, it was reported that Myanmar withdrew its warships and Daewoo began to remove its equipment from the area.[7]
Arbitration
In 2009, Bangladesh submitted its claims to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Both countries came to terms at the tribunal in 2012.[8]
References
- Randeep Ramesh. "Bangladesh and Burma send warships into Bay of Bengal | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- Johnston, Alan (2008-11-03). "South Asia | Bangladesh and Burma in oil row". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- Sea border issue fails to grab govt focus. "Myanmar brings warships to explore Bangladesh waters". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Bangladesh-Myanmar in standoff". Al Jazeera English. 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Bangladesh-Burma (Myanmar) maritime boundary dispute escalates". CSMonitor.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Dhaka puts border guards on high alert: Villagers told to be ready for evacuation". Dawn.Com. 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Dhaka refuses to retreat, Myanmar withdraws two navy ships". Outlookindia.com. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Judgment in Bangladesh-Myanmar Maritime Boundary Dispute | International Law Observer | A blog dedicated to reports, commentary and the discussion of topical issues of international law". Internationallawobserver.eu. Archived from the original on 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2017-09-27.