Bangladesh faces the wrath of Myanmar chaos. Bangladesh’s navy was forced to deploy warships around St. Martin’s Island due to the threat posed to Bangladeshi shipping by the ongoing conflict in Myanmar between the junta and the separatist Arakan Army (AA). Bangladeshis have been demanding strong action against Myanmar.

What happened?

According to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, on June 12, it filed a protest with Naypyitaw after the rebel group opened fire on the vessels after the Myanmar navy opened fire on Arakan Army (AA) positions close to St. Martin’s Island. There have been notable junta warship deployments close to the border, according to the Bangladesh Navy.

St. Martin islands:

Saint Martin’s Island may not hold significant strategic importance. It is a small coral island . To the west of the Naf River is Bangladesh, and to the east is Myanmar. The maritime territory of Bangladesh is used to reach Saint Martin’s Island, with some parts of the route running very close to Myanmar.

Myanmar- Bangladesh relations

St martin has been a bone of contention between the two countries. In February 2019, Bangladesh had protested to Myanmar about the inclusion of St Martin’s Island inside Myanmar’s territory on an official website.

Adding to their woes, St Martin island sits next to Rakhine region.

A civil war is ongoing in the Rakhine region, where the Arakan Army has already taken control of 17 to 18 towns in the northern part of Rakhine. So when Myanmar Army fired at Arakan Army in Rakhine region, Bangladesh too was pulled into the issue.

The Arakan Army’s lack of trust in the Rohingya is still an issue. They harbour a variety of misgivings, especially with regard to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). It has been discovered that RSA and ARSA are fighting against the Arakan Army on behalf of the Tatmadaw, the army of Myanmar, after receiving weapons.

The situation remains tense between Myanmar and Bangladesh.