MARITIME TENSIONS BETWEEN BANGLADESH AND BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001157 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S-ES/O, SCA/FO, SCA/PB, EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2018 TAGS: BG BM ECON PBTS PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI TRGY SUBJECT: MARITIME TENSIONS BETWEEN BANGLADESH AND BURMA CONTINUE REF: A. DHAKA01147 ¶B. RANGOON 00871 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Diplomatic talks between Bangladesh and Burma ended inconclusively November 8, with no negotiated settlement over the current maritime border dispute. Tensions between the two states continued to escalate, with both nations placing border forces on alert. Bangladesh-based South Korean diplomats confirmed that Daewoo, the Korean-owned company hired by the Government of Burma to begin oil and natural gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal, had ceased operations and begun dismantling its equipment. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry sent us a diplomatic note asking the U.S. and other countries to remove their nationals from rigs working in the disputed zone. All workers reportedly left the rig on November 4. NEGOTIATIONS END INCONCLUSIVELY -------------- ¶2. (C) On November 5, Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' second-highest official) Md. Touhid Hossain led an official delegation to Rangoon to try to resolve the maritime border dispute. Commodore (retired) Khurshed Alam, currently serving as an oceanography consultant to the Bangladesh Navy, and Commodore Habibur Rahman of the Bangladesh Navy accompanied the Foreign Secretary. The delegation returned to Dhaka November 8 with little progress to report. The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has not announced any immediate plans for future discussions, although long-standing negotiations regarding the maritime border scheduled for November 16-17 in Dhaka have not been cancelled. In a November 9 conversation with Ambassador Moriarty, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said Burma now planned to send a Deputy Minister to these talks. ¶3. (C) Delegation member Commodore Alam told PolOff November 9 the two sides remained unbending in their positions. The Bangladeshi delegation demanded the removal of the rig, while the Burmese negotiators, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Mynt, said emphatically the rig would remain in place at least until the November 16-17 talks. Alam confided that his Burmese Navy counterpart, Commodore Maung, privately revealed the Burmese Navy would withdraw from the disputed territory. Alam said he believed a significant barrier to negotiations remained the Burmese delegation's inability to make decisions outside the narrow parameters granted by Burma's senior leadership. Alam opined that the prospects for a quick resolution were unlikely and that it would be a long and difficult process. Alam stressed the importance of exhausting all avenues of bilateral discussion before referring the issue to a third-party mediator. ¶4. (C) A further opportunity for Bangladesh-Burmese discussions regarding the dispute could come during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in New Delhi on November 11. Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, and Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury will attend the summit. Burmese officials will also presumably be there, presenting an opportunity to further discuss and possibly resolve the dispute. Foreign Affairs Adviser Chowdhury has repeatedly stated that Bangladesh would like to resolve the dispute diplomatically, but he also has maintained that Bangladesh must preserve its sovereignty. The Indian High Commissioner told us that Bangladesh-India negotiations on demarcating the two countries' disputed maritime border were also proceeding slowly. The Indians do not hold out much hope for a breakthrough in their talks with the Bangladeshis. CHINA AS MEDIATOR? -------------- ¶5. (C) The Foreign Affairs Adviser told the Ambassador he had DHAKA 00001157 002 OF 002 requested that the Chinese government speak with Rangoon to urge restraint and reasonableness during the dispute. While Chowdhury claimed that China did speak with Rangoon, Chinese officials have consistently downplayed their role in resolving the conflict. Chinese diplomats in Dhaka told PolOff November 6 that their government did not plan on playing a mediating role in the dispute. Bangladesh media reported on a public statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry that China hoped the dispute would be resolved in a friendly manner. ¶6. (C) Commodore Alam recalled that during the November 5-8 meetings in Rangoon the Burmese stressed repeatedly the strong and positive relationship Burma had with China, underscoring the importance of the strategic relationship between the two. Commodore Alam was uncertain whether the Burmese were attempting to make a vague threat. BORDER GUARDS ON ALERT -------------- ¶7. (C) Bangladesh on November 8 placed its border guards on "red alert" in response to reports that Burma was bolstering its border forces. Foreign Adviser Chowdhury emphasized to the Ambassador that the GOB's decision was a response to Burmese actions. Forces from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) are on alert in the Bandarban and Cox's Bazar districts in southeastern Bangladesh along the 300-kilometer hilly border with Burma. According to press reports, the BDR evacuated some schools in the area in order to take up positions and advised people living in the border area to leave if the situation warrants. Nearby Bangladesh Army and Air Force units also increased their alert status, but rumors of troop movements appeared unfounded. DAEWOO CEASES OPERATIONS -------------- ¶8. (C) Despite official Burmese statements that Daewoo's operation would remain in place in the Bay of Bengal, South Korean officials confirmed that the company was dismantling its operation. On November 9, Embassy Dhaka received a diplomatic note dated November 6 from the GOB urging the withdrawal of all American citizens from the Daewoo rig. (Note: We learned subsequently that the Australian and Indian High Commissions had received similar notes. In response, the Indian High Commission reminded the Government of Bangladesh of its responsibility to safeguard lives.) The Deputy Chief of Mission from the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka confirmed to us that all workers left the rig November ¶4. He added that Daewoo had ceased operations in the Bay of Bengal and was dismantling the oil and gas rig. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) While both sides are likely posturing, tensions between Bangladesh and Burma remain high. There is some risk that a misstep by a low-level official or guard along the border could spark an escalation of tensions. Domestic opponents of Bangladesh's political transition could also seek to exploit the border tensions in an attempt to delay elections. Foreign Affairs Adviser Chowdhury emphasized to the Ambassador, however, that the dispute could still be resolved bilaterally and that Bangladesh would make every effort to do so soon. Moriarty