THE government last week rejected Bangladeshi demand to halt oil exploration activities being undertaken by Daewoo International in the Bay of Bengal off the Rakhine coast in an area claimed by both nations.

A government statement issued on November 6 said the site was within its special economic zone and it rejected the Bangladeshi claim as a “mistake and unlawful”.

The site, named Block AD-7 by Myanmar’s authorities, lies 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Bangladesh’s St Martin Island.

Myanmar’s ambassador to Bangladesh, U Phae Thann Oo, was summoned to the Bangladeshi foreign ministry in Dhaka on November 3 to receive an official protest note.

A senior Bangladeshi team led by its foreign secretary Mr Touhid Hossain visited Nay Pyi Taw on November 5 and 6 to hold talks with his Myanmar counterpart U Maung Myint in an attempt to resolve the issue. The meeting was also attended by U Phae Thann Oo. The outcome of the talks were not disclosed by either government.

Myanmar’s government strongly defended its stance, stating that it was working according to international laws in protecting its territorial rights.
“Myanmar rejected the mistakenly-made demand of Bangladesh,” said a statement published in state-own New Light of Myanmar.

“Moreover, in order to protect interests of the country in line with international laws, Myanmar will continue to do the work in Block AD-7 till its completion,” the statement said.

It said South Korean conglomerate Daewoo Corporation was given the right of exploration in 2005, and the company started its work last year.

China, which has close relations with both Myanmar and Bangladesh, called on the two governments to resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mr Qin Gang, said on November 6 that Beijing has “taken note of the dispute between its two neighbours”.

“We hope the countries will settle it through equal and friendly negotiations and maintain a stable bilateral relationship,” Mr Qin was quoted as saying in a report by China’s state-own Xinhua news agency.

“As their friend, China will contribute in an appropriate manner,” Mr Qin said, however the agency did not elaborate on what this manner would be.