Staff Reporter
India yesterday sent ships into Bangladesh territory to explore for gas in mineral-rich Bay of Bengal.
Naval personnel of the country had sighted “Indian ships overlapping into our plains of the Bay of Bengal,” Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain told the New Nation, adding they appeared to be exploring for gas.
The Navy has protested the intrusion of three Indian survey ships into Bangladesh’s territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal, but those have refused to leave, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
A naval commander said two Bangladeshi ships had been sent to the region and a third was on its way as reinforcement. They would confront the two Indian vessels in the area, said the official, who declined to be named.
The Bangladesh Navy frigate ‘Khalid bin Walid’ was dispatched to the spot Thursday night and asked the Indian ships to back off, said one maritime official declining to be named.
“Three Indian survey vessels started seismic survey activities some 140 nautical miles southwest off Mongla seaport.
“Right after detection of the Indian ships, frigate Khalid bin Walid went there and asked them to leave Bangladesh territorial waters,” said the official.
The official added that battleship BNS Meghla was also heading to the place from Chittagong port.
Both Bangladesh and India claim the waters, but until the dispute is settled no-one can carry out exploration works there, according to international law.
Bangladesh will move diplomatically to persuade the Indian ships back.
The Foreign Secretary said, “We will file a diplomatic protest note yesterday or today” to get the Indian vessels to go away.
Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said the government was running an inquiry.
“We are investigating the situation and will take actions as deemed necessary based on the result of the inquiry,” he told reporters.
The Indian High Commission was not available for comment due to holiday yesterday.
High officials of navy and coastguards have held an urgent meeting, the official said.
The Indian intrusion took place in less than two months of Myanmar sending vessels and equipment to carry out the exploration in the disputed waters of the Bay of Bengal, some 60 nautical miles off Saint Martin’s Island on November 2.
Bangladesh had urged India to stop all activity in the area until it had been officially demarcated by a United Nations convention, he said.
Last month a similar row between Bangladesh and its eastern neighbour Myanmar flared over another disputed stretch in the bay.
A series of top-level diplomatic talks between the two failed to resolve the dispute and it was only after Myanmar removed the ships that it simmered down.
Dhaka is sandwiched between the two neighbours and resumed talks on maritime boundary after a long time earlier this year. With India, the talks resumed after 28 years. They remained at a preliminary stage with all sides reiterating their own positions.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
