The New Nation - Internet Edition

BANGLADESH is surrounded by India on three sides. Only in the south it borders on the Bay of Bengal. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), thus, is the only hope for Bangladesh for laying claim on living space and various resources to meet the future needs of the population. The signatories to the convention can claim up to 350 nautical miles from their territorial waters as their exclusive economic zone (EEZ). But worries were there why Bangladesh, as a signatory to the UNCLOS, was not establishing its claim and control on the EEZ for long term economic security.

The suicidal sloth in the realm of policy planning and implementation in the demarcation of the EEZ is unpardonable. The UNCLOS requires the fastest laying of claims by countries bordering on oceans before the time for such claims expires. But since the 19 years that Bangladesh signed the UNCLOS, no move has been taken to determine the size of its EEZ and lay claim to the same. Reportedly, the foreign office embarked on only a desktop study to prepare a database for claiming the EEZ whereas the requirements are preliminary and extensive hydrographic surveys.

India and Myanmar have laid claims on extensive areas that overlap Bangladesh's EEZ. In the absence of a formal claim from Bangladesh, these countries are not only claiming ownership of these areas but in some cases, like the South Talpatty island, also exercising rights as occupiers. Claimant Bangladesh faces the double hurdles of legally establishing rights and then of physically dislodging the occupier.

Bangladesh's course now can be no other than going all-out to control further damages by completing surveys and then pursuing its claim through the UNCLOS. The process of leasing out off-shore blocks to foreign companies to find oil and gas may be seriously handicapped for the EEZ not being properly demarcated. Thus, there is great urgency involved in settling our claim to our rightful EEZ after dispelling claims on them made by our neighbours.