Maritime win 'big deception': BNP

Says it is 'taking back' its greetings it extended to the foreign ministry over winning the case against Myanmar

Dhaka, Apr 7 (bdnews24.com) – BNP says it is 'taking back' its greetings that it gave to the foreign ministry for winning the case against Myanmar to establish Bangladesh's maritime boundary rights in the Bay of Bengal.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a roundtable on Saturday said that following the verdict passed by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg, Germany on Mar 14, BNP had thanked the foreign ministry without knowing the full facts.

He claimed that the maritime win had drawn attention of the entire country. Even BNP had got confused, he said.

"Initially we had thanked the government without being clear over the issue. Later, when we were informed, it appeared that the whole matter was a big deception."

Fakhrul said the government was holding celebrations in the name of maritime win to divert people's attention.

After the verdict of the ITLOS, foreign minister Dipu Moni on Mar 14 explained that Bangladesh had claimed 107,000 square km but got 111,000.

The country's apex trade organisation Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) accorded a reception to prime minister Sheikh Hasina over the historic maritime boundary verdict against Myanmar.

Fakhrul at the roundtable in the city's Engineers Institute auditorium said, "The opposition leader had thanked the government in parliament and I myself to the foreign ministry [for the win] as we don't want to politicise everything."

"But we came to know of the complete data and information after discussions with experts and finally it has turned out to be a great deception," he added.

He said the real mystery behind the maritime win hullabaloo unfolded when the prime minister urged the people to vote her party to power for another term, so that the country could win legal battle in another maritime boundary dispute, with India, scheduled to be delivered in 2014.

Fakhrul also criticised the government for power, water and gas crisis, killing of Bangladeshi nationals by Indian Border Security Force in the border areas and deterioration of law and order situation.

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