Sheikh Hasina cries US' role in her ouster: All about Saint Martin's Island which Bangladesh's ex-PM did not surrender

Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has alleged that the USA aimed to oust her from power due to her refusal to cede control of Saint Martin Island, which would have allowed the USA to exert influence over the Bay of Bengal.

Hasina, in a message conveyed through her close associates and made available to ET, claimed that by surrendering the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island, she could have stayed in power.

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However, she chose not to compromise on the island's sovereignty, highlighting the island's strategic importance and the potential geopolitical influence it represents in the region.

Saint Martin's Island in Bangladesh: Here's all you need to know about

Saint Martin's island is Bangladesh's sole coral reef island, popularly also called as “Narikel Zinzira”, which in Bengali translates to 'Coconut Island'.

It lies in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, approximately 9 kms south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula and 8 kms west of the northwest coast of Myanmar.

Saint Martin's Island is a cherished destination for tourists and a vital resource for the local community.

The island’s economy primarily relies on fishing, rice and coconut cultivation, and tourism, providing livelihoods for its approximately 5,500 residents.

The island has been at the heart of a long-standing sovereignty dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar, mainly due to disagreements over maritime boundaries and fishing rights in the surrounding waters, as per media reports.

This dispute was partially resolved in 2012 when the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled that the island falls within the territorial sea, continental shelf, and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Bangladesh.

Despite the tribunal’s ruling, tensions resurfaced in 2018 when the Bangladesh government protested against Myanmar’s updated map, which erroneously depicted the island as part of its territory. Myanmar later acknowledged this as a “mistake,” reaffirming the island’s status as part of Bangladesh.