Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina bombed that America is behind the Bangladesh riots. He was accused of creating riots in his country for the island of St. Martins and removed him from office.
Internet Desk: Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina blasted America’s hand behind the Bangladesh riots. He was accused of creating riots in his country for the island of St. Martins and removed him from office. In this background, let’s know about this island.. In the north-eastern part of the Bay of Bengal, there is an area of about 3 square kilometers, St. Martin’s Island. It is a coral island. It is 9 km from Cox’s Bazar in the southern tip of Bangladesh. Locals call it Narikeal Jinjira, Coconut Island. 3,700 people live in this island. All of them depend on fishing, rice cultivation and coconut plantations for their livelihood. This area is famous for seaweed cultivation. It is exported to Myanmar. Arab traders settled here in the 18th century. They named it Jinjira. In 1900, the British made the island a part of their Indian kingdom. It is said to have been named after the Christian teacher Saint Martins. On the other hand, it was popularized that Martin was named in honor of the then Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong. After the partition of India in 1947, it became part of East Pakistan. After that Bangladesh got it. In 1974, Myanmar signed a treaty accepting Bangladesh’s sovereignty over it. Here demarcation of maritime boundaries is not complete. This created an atmosphere of conflict between the two countries.
Efforts for strategic positioning?
Since this island is located in the middle of many countries in the Bay of Bengal, America’s focus has always been on it. If a military base is built here, it will have direct control over the Straits of Malacca, which is very important for world trade. Although America has officially said many times that it is not interested in this island, it has made many efforts to establish a base here. China is building Cox’s Bazar port near it. The superpower believes that having a base on this nearby island would be strategically useful for surveillance.
Arakan Army eye..
Millions of people have migrated to Bangladesh due to the severe crackdown on the Rohingya by the Myanmar army . All of them took shelter in the Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar. The Arakan Army, which supports them, has recently claimed the island of St. Martins. But Bangladesh government rejected it. On the other hand, due to the Arakan Army, Myanmar troops often fire on this island. Bangladesh had to deploy its navy here.
