Panel suggests modernised navy to protect sea boundary
June 22, 2009
A parliamentary watchdog has recommended strengthening of Bangladesh Navy to safeguard the huge unprotected sea boundary and resources in the Bay of Bengal.
Members of the parliamentary standing committee on the defence ministry agreed that the government must have discussion with people before finalising the proposed National Defence Policy.
The parliamentary panel also urged the government to settle the maritime disputes with Myanmar and India through dialogues.
“All of us have agreed that the navy should be upgraded to protect our exclusive economic zone (in the Bay of Bengal),” Idris Ali, the committee chairman, told reporters after the meeting at parliament building on Monday.
“In our 40,000 square miles of the exclusive economic zone, we have exclusive rights to fish and extract minerals.”
Ali said the navy had been plagued by problems such as manpower and frigate shortages.
The navy officials made a powerpoint presentation on its strength before the standing committee.
“Two of the four frigates of the navy are old. It has only two modern frigates procured by the previous Awami League government,” said Ali who was the defence secretary when the frigates were procured from Korea.
He was also charged along with prime minister Sheikh Hasina for alleged corruption in the frigate purchase case filed by the previous BNP government.
“We cannot exploit the benefits of our exclusive economic zone as the maritime boundary is yet to be demarcated,” said the committee chairman.
Ali said president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1974 took the initiative to demarcate the sea boundary, but the successive governments put the issue on backburner.
Foreign ministry sources said Myanmar in December last year and India in May this year had submitted the maps of their sea boundary to the United Nations.
Both the neighbours have made counterclaims on waters asserted by Bangladesh too.
“We will soon lodge diplomatic protests at the UN body over Myanmar and India’s claims,” a foreign ministry spokesperson has told bdnews24.com.
“The committee members have agreed that the proposed national defence policy should be finalised after holding discussions with different sections of the society and media,” Ali said.
Committee members H M Ershad, Mujibul Haq and Abdul Mannan also attended the meeting.
Source: bdnews24.com
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