Daewoo starts pulling out of disputed waters
The Daewoo-Myanmar Company has already initiated the process of withdrawal of the installation placed in the disputed waters of the Bay of Bengal claimed by Bangladesh as her territorial waters.
Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury stated this based on the information received from the government sources of the Republic of Korea.
"This is indeed good news, if true, and would mean that our initiatives have paid off," he said.
The foreign ministry also received a letter from Daewoo stating that the dismantling process had begun, which might take a few days to complete.
Iftekhar said a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday evening underscored Bangladesh's "strong resolve" to deal with the situation on the eastern maritime front.
He said the home adviser, the chiefs of the armed forces and other senior civil and military officers attended the meeting.
"Of course we have goodwill for Myanmar, a close neighbour, but critical national interests have to be protected," the foreign adviser said.
He said Bangladesh wants a peaceful resolution to the current issue in the Bay of Bengal with Myanmar, but is resolute to protect her sovereign territory, including territorial waters.
Currently, a Bangladeshi delegation led by Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain is visiting Myanmar to talk to the Myanmar authorities to resolve the matter of unwarranted mobilisation of naval ships in the Bay for hydrocarbon exploration.
Iftekhar was in communication with some foreign diplomats in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi ambassadors abroad.
The Myanmar ships started exploration activities Saturday ignoring Bangladesh Navy warnings that they (ships) were intruding into Bangladesh waters. The area is well within Bangladesh's maritime territory and marked as deep-sea blocks 8-13, reports our staff correspondent.
Dhaka officially lodged protest with the Myanmar ambassador Sunday. Myanmar also protested to the Bangladeshi ambassador in Myanmar the same day.
Bangladesh later requested the North Korean government to ask Daewoo, which is conducting the exploration for Myanmar, to stop its activities in its territorial waters. Dhaka also requested Myanmar's closest ally China to ask Myanmar to quit Bangladesh waters till the maritime boundary is demarcated as per the UN guidelines.
China yesterday hoped that Bangladesh and Myanmar settle the dispute through friendly negotiations. "We hope the countries will settle it through equal and friendly negotiations and maintain a stable bilateral relationship. As their friend, China will contribute in an appropriate manner," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a press conference, reports Xinhua.
Myanmar's government yesterday rejected Bangladesh's demand to immediately halt oil and gas exploration off Myanmar's western Rakhine coast, reports AP.
A government statement on state radio and television evening news called Dhaka's demand "unlawful and wrongful," and stated that the operations will continue.
The statement was the first official response to tension over disputed waters that flared earlier this week.
"The government of Myanmar will protect its territorial boundary in accordance with international laws," the statement said.
Myanmar in 2005 awarded exploration rights in the area to Daewoo, with initial feasibility studies conducted in 2007.
Bangladesh's protest came after Daewoo began formal exploration in the area in September.
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