11/4/2008
Sittwe: Burmese authorities in Sittwe have accused to Bangladesh navy ships of entering Burmese waters on Monday morning for an hour before returning to Bangladesh territory, said an official from Number 18 Navy based in Sittwe on the condition of anonymity.He said, "There are three Bangladesh navy ships near Burma's water and of those, two entered Burmese waters at 8 am on Monday, while one ship waited in Bangladesh waters to see out the situation."
However, Burma's ships did not respond to the Bangladesh ships' actions, even though they intruded into Burmese territory, he added.
A source close to the Burmese navy in Sittwe said that one Bangladesh navy ship traveled about eight miles into Burmese waters, while another traveled about four miles into Burmese waters.
According to local sources, navy ships from both countries are still deployed to the site of the territorial dispute, and they are closely watching each other at sea.
Bangladesh accused Burma of sending three ships into Bangladesh waters - one is a hydrocarbon exploration vessel and two are warships that escorted the exploration vessel into Bangladesh territory on Saturday.
The Bangladesh government summoned Burma's ambassador, U Pe Than U, to the foreign ministry office yesterday to convey Bangladesh's protest over the intrusion to Burmese authorities.
Bangladesh will send a high-powered delegation to Burma on Wednesday to attempt to solve the problem.
An analyst said that the Burma's intrusion into Bangladesh waters angered Bangladesh authorities because they had recently proposed to Burma that the two countries resolve their maritime boundaries peacefully. During this same proposition, Burma's navy ships entered Bangladesh waters to explore for oil and gas.
The disputed area between Burma and Bangladesh is located 60 miles southwest of St. Martin Island, which is located at the mouth of the Naff River. Both Bangladesh and Burma have proclaimed that the waters in question fall within their own territory.
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