13 things about St Martin's Island that Sheikh Hasina says US wanted her to cede

Days after resigning from her prime ministerial post and fleeing Bangladesh, ex-PM Sheikh Hasina accused the United States of her ouster. One of the accusations Hasina hurled against Washington involved a tiny island called Saint Martin’s. The Bangladeshi politician who is currently residing in a safe house in India accused the US of ousting her from power because she refused to hand over the island.

While Saint Martin’s Island is a tiny piece of land, it still holds geographical significance. The island is touted to provide a “sway over the Bay of Bengal”.

On Sunday, the Bangladeshi premier released an undelivered speech which she wanted to give before she was forced to resign. In the statement obtained by The Economic Times, the 79-year-old leader of the Awami League claimed that she could have remained in power had she given away Bangladesh’s sovereignty over the island.

“I could have remained in power if I had left St. Martin’s and the Bay of Bengal to America,” she said in a message conveyed to her Awami League supporters. It is pertinent to note that Hasina resigned and fled from Dhaka following nationwide protests over a controversial quota system proposed by her government.

Within a few weeks, the quota system protests eventually morphed into an anti-government and anti-Hasina protest. After Hasian left the country Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government.

So, let’s take a look at what makes St Martin’s Island such an attractive piece of land in the Bay of Bengal.

13 things to know about St Martin’s Island

• St Martin’s Island also referred to as Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island) or Daruchini Dwip (Cinnamon Island), is Bangladesh’s sole coral reef island. The island is extremely tiny with only 3 km square in area and is located in the Northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. It is located about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Tankaf peninsula.

•  The island was first settled back in the 18th century by Arabian merchants and was called “Jazira” during their occupation. When the British colonised the island, it was named after the then-Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong.

• The island houses 3,700 residents who primarily engage in fishing, rice cultivation, coconut farming, and seaweed harvesting. The produce is dried and exported to Myanmar, making it an attractive piece of land not only for tourism but for trade as well.

• Now what’s the US’s involvement in the island? In the letter Hasina claimed that Washington had been eying on the island to build an air base and get a strategic hold over the Bay of Bengal.

• The claims were made in the past as well. Khaleda Zia’s BNP was accused of planning to sell the island to the US. However, the White House has repeatedly denied the claims. Back in 2003, the then US envoy to Bangladesh, Mary Ann Peters, had said that her country “has no plans, no requirement, and no desire for a military base on St. Martin’s Island, Chittagong, or anywhere else in Bangladesh”. She emphasised that the US is interested in strategic military ties in Dhaka only.

• The island holds a strong strategic advantage. Hypothetically, if a country set up a military base in St Martin’s they would automatically have a presence near the Strait of Malacca, which China has been using majorly for their transportation.

• The island can also provide a country to conduct surveillance over not just China’s and Myanmar’s activities, but also look into what India is up to.

• With China asserting its dominance in several areas of the Indo-Pacific region, the island provides a strong base to counter Beijing’s presence.

• Interestingly, Bangladesh also engages in a border with Myanmar which claims ownership over the island. One has to go back in history to see where the conflict begins. In 1937 the island remained a part of British India after Myanmar was separated from it.

• It remained part of British India until the Partition of 1947. From there, it was Pakistan which took control over the Island. Following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Dhaka took control of the island.

• In 1974, both Bangladesh and Myanmar reached an agreement that the coral island would be a part of Bangladeshi territory, Daily Star reported.

• However, there has been a diplomatic tussle over the matter in recent years. Back in 2018, Myanmar garnered attention when it included Saint Martin’s Island on its official map. The map was eventually deleted with the foreign ministry calling it a “mistake”. The Rohingyas also use the island to flee from Myanmar and enter Bangladesh.

• However, Myanmar’s new military junta was accused of sending ships in the region forcing the Bangladeshi Navy to deploy its own vessels near the island. It is pertinent to note that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) recognises St Martin’s Island as part of Bangladesh.

While Hasina’s comments have stirred a major storm around the world, the United States is yet to comment on the matter.