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Bangladesh–Myanmar relations

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See also: Foreign relations of Myanmar § Bangladesh

Bangladesh–Myanmar relations
Map indicating locations of Bangladesh and Myanmar

Bangladesh
Myanmar

The neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar had a generally cordial relationship under the Burmese military junta although the presence of over 270,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh often served as a major irritant. The civil society and political class of Bangladesh often voiced solidarity for Myanmars pro-democracy struggle. However, Bangladesh has sought greater trade and road and rail networks with Myanmar to boost the economic relations between the two countries.[1]

History

Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation was a military operation conducted by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in northern Rakhine State, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh in 1991. In December 1991, Tatmadaw soldiers crossed the border and accidentally fired on a Bangladeshi military outpost, resulting in Bangladesh Army aiding Rohingya Solidarity Organisation as retaliation. The conflict ended in Burmese tactical failure. [2][3][4]

On October 7, 1998 between three and five Bangladeshi fishermen were killed by Burmese Navy forces just off the coast of St. Martin's Island.[5]

On September 8, 1999 one Bangladeshi fisherman was shot and killed by Burmese Navy forces near St. Martin's Island. Nine crewmen from the victim's fishing boat abandoned it, swam for their lives, and were rescued by Bangladeshi forces. The Bangladeshi government lodged a formal protest note to Myanmar.[6]

On August 20, 2000 the Bangladeshi police reported that Burmese border guards had shot and killed four Bangladeshi fishermen off the coast of St. Martin's Island.[7]

Bangladesh and Myanmar engaged in a minor border skirmish near the Naaf River during 2000–2001 often Refer as NAF WAR.[8][9]


In November 2008, the relation between two countries deteriorated further after Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff, a result of Myanmar allowing the South Korean company Daewoo to explore the seabed in an area SW of St. Martin's Island, the area that was contested between Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their respective exclusive economic zones.[10] Myanmar deployed two naval warships to protect its assets. Citing international law, Bangladesh asserted that Myanmar should not allow any kind of activities in disputed territories until a resolution. After Bangladeshi requests were not heeded, the Bangladesh Navy deployed three warships in the area; the BNS Abu Bakr, BNS Madhumati and BNS Nirbhoy and Bangladesh Air Force deployed Mig 29. As a result, Myanmar withdrew its warships and Daewoo began to remove its equipment from the area. In 2012, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea granted the disputed area to Bangladesh, resulting in both tactical and strategic victory for Bangladesh. [11][12][13]

In December 2016, the Bangladeshi border guard accused the Myanmar Navy of firing on four Bangladeshi fishermen in the Bay of Bengal, leading to a formal protest.[14]

On 6 October 2018, the Government of Myanmar updated its 2015-2018 map of Myanmar Information Management Unit showing St. Martin as a part of their sovereign territory and spread the maps in two global websites. Following the event, the Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka was summoned by the Government of Bangladesh on 6 October 2018. Rear Admiral (retd) M Khurshed Alam, maritime affairs secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh handed over a strongly worded protest note to him. The Myanmar envoy said it was a “mistake” to show the St. Martin's Island as part of his country's territory.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Background Note: Bangladesh". Background notes. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh: The Plight of the Rohingya". Pulitzer Center. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Understanding and responding to the Rohingya crisis". ReliefWeb. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  4. ^ Hodal, Kate (20 December 2012). "Trapped inside Burma's refugee camps, the Rohingya people call for recognition". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  5. ^ Myanmar Guards Kill Two Bangladeshis, October 8, 1998, Reuters
  6. ^ Myanmar border guards kill Bangladeshi fisherman, September 8, 1999, Reuters
  7. ^ Reuters, August 20, 2000
  8. ^ "Bangladesh-Burma border tense". 2000-11-17. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  9. ^ "Bangladesh-Burma border clash". 2001-01-08. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  10. ^ "Bangladesh-Myanmar in standoff". Al Jazeera English. 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  11. ^ Randeep Ramesh. "Bangladesh and Burma send warships into Bay of Bengal | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  12. ^ Sea border issue fails to grab govt focus. "Myanmar brings warships to explore Bangladesh waters". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  13. ^ "Dhaka refuses to retreat, Myanmar withdraws two navy ships". Outlookindia.com. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  14. ^ Lee, Yimou (December 28, 2016). Pitchford, Ruth (ed.). "Bangladesh border guard protests after Myanmar navy fires at its fishing boat". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. At least four Bangladeshi fisherman were injured, two senior officers with the border guard told Reuters. "The fishermen, fishing within Bangladesh's body of water on the Bay of Bengal Cherrha Dwip, were shot by a Myanmar navy vessel," said Mohammad Saiful Absar, contingent commander of Bangladeshi border guard in St Martin. He said the shooting happened on Tuesday morning.... Bangladesh's border guard filed a protest letter on Wednesday to its Myanmar counterparts, said AbuZar Al Jahid, lieutenant colonel of Bangladeshi border guard in Teknaf.
  15. ^ Md. Azhar Uddin Bhuiyan (16 October 2018). "Legal implication of Myanmar's claim over St. Martin". The Daily Star. Bangladesh. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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