First Resigning from the post of Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fleeing to IndiaSheikh Hasina wanted to address the nation but the army did not allow her to do so due to the violent anti-government protests against her. Now, an unpublished speech of Sheikh Hasina accessed by India Today TV has revealed that the 76-year-old Awami League leader made a shocking allegation against the US, hinting that Washington may have played a role in her ouster.
In excerpts from the speech, Hasina claimed that Did he cede the island of St. Martin to the US?Had that happened, her government would have survived. But why did Hasina raise the issue of sovereignty of the strategic island amid the protests against her?
Furthermore, what is the significance of the island of St. Martins, and what is America’s alleged interest in it?
Where is St Martin located?
St. Martin’s Island, located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, is a small coral island about nine kilometers south of the tip of Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf, Bangladesh’s southernmost peninsula, near Myanmar. It is Bangladesh’s only atoll.
The island has an area of just three square kilometres and is home to around 3,700 inhabitants, who are mainly engaged in fishing, rice cultivation, coconut farming and harvesting seaweed, which is dried and exported to Myanmar.
The island has recently attracted a lot of attention after allegations were levelled that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia planned to sell the island to the US to build a military base in exchange for help in winning elections.
However, these claims were rejected by the US State Department, which stressed its commitment to respecting Bangladesh’s sovereignty and promoting democracy through free and fair elections.
History of the Island of Saint Martin
This island is also known by this name ‘Narikel Jinjira’ or Coconut Island in Bengali, because of the abundance of coconut trees there. It is also known as ‘Daruchini Island’ Or Cinnamon Island.
The island was once an extension of the Teknaf Peninsula, but became separated due to the submergence of a portion of the peninsula. However, this turned the southernmost part of the peninsula into an island, separated from the mainland of Bangladesh.
The island has a rich history, dating back to the eighteenth century when Arab traders settled it and named it ‘JazeeraIn 1900, a British land survey team included St. Martin’s Island as part of British India and named it after a Christian priest named St. Martin. However, there are reports that the island is named after Mr. Martin, the then Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong.
After Myanmar separated in 1937, the island remained part of British India until the partition of 1947, when it passed under the control of Pakistan.
The atoll became part of Bangladesh after the 1971 Liberation War, Bangladesh’s Daily Star reports.
In 1974, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed that the atoll would be part of Bangladeshi territory.
Maritime boundary issue with Myanmar
Despite a 1974 agreement recognising St Martin’s Island as Bangladeshi territory, there have been issues over the demarcation of the island’s maritime boundary. Bangladeshi fishermen frequently use their boats off the island, which is a major fishing hub, and have faced threats of detention and gunfire from Myanmar naval forces.
To date, there has been no question of Bangladeshi ownership of the island. However, it was the demarcation of the maritime boundary that threatened to spark a sovereignty war in the region, given its strategic location near the Bay of Bengal.
In 2012, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in a landmark ruling, reaffirmed Bangladesh’s sovereignty over the atoll, which had significant implications for the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Arrival of Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh
A More than 700,000 Rohingya refugees became homeless due to violent military action in Myanmar. Thousands of these people are camped in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, which is the largest refugee camp in the world.
And since Cox’s Bazar is located very close to St. Martin’s Island, there are reports that members of the Arakan Army, an organisation banned by Myanmar, are trying to claim the island, though Bangladesh has repeatedly denied this.
There have been sporadic incidents of firing between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army in the past few years. This incident has prompted the Bangladesh Navy to deploy warships around St. Martin’s Island.
Geopolitical Importance of Saint Martin
The island of St. Martin has dominated Bangladesh politics since the country came into existence in 1971. Its proximity to the Bay of Bengal and maritime border with Myanmar has led to international interest, particularly from the US and China, in using the island to strengthen their presence in the region.
In June last year, Sheikh Hasina had alleged that the US wanted to occupy St. Martin’s Island and build a military base there in return for BNP’s victory in the elections. She also claimed that if BNP comes to power, it will sell the island to the US.
She said her government would remain in power even if the island of St. Martin was leased out, but added that she would never allow such a move to take place as long as she was in office.
“The BNP came to power in 2001 by promising to sell gas. Now they want to sell the country. They want to come to power by promising to sell St. Martin’s Island. I have no intention of coming to power by selling the country’s assets,” Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo quoted Sheikh Hasina as saying.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller categorically denied the allegations, saying they were “not accurate” and that there were “no discussions” with the Sheikh Hasina-led government about taking over the island.
“We have never had any discussion about occupying the island of St. Martin. We value our partnership with Bangladesh. We strive to strengthen our relationship by working together to promote democracy, including supporting free and fair elections,” he said.
Bangladesh’s claims of US annexation of the St Martin island come after unconfirmed reports that the US is unhappy with Dhaka’s growing closer to China and wants to take retaliatory measures to reduce Beijing’s influence in South Asia.
This comes at a time when China is embroiled in multiple territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea, another strategic location like the Bay of Bengal.