Indian ships to leave Bay after finishing survey work: Envoy

FE Team | Published: December 28, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

India has so far rejected Bangladesh's request for removal of the former's survey ships from disputed waters in the Bay, with the Indian envoy in Dhaka saying the vessels will leave when their work is complete, reports bdnews24.com.
Indian high commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, being summoned by the foreign ministry Saturday, urged the foreign secretary to send a delegation to Delhi to settle the issue.
Foreign secretary Md Touhid Hossain told reporters that Dhaka would send a delegation next month.
Chakravarty ruled out the possibility of escalating tensions with Bangladesh, and hoped that the dispute could be resolved through talks. "These are chartered ships, not Indian navy ships, though Bangladesh naval ships are in the area," He told reporters after meeting with Touhid Hossain at the foreign ministry.
"I don't know what work they are doing there. But these are survey ships. They will finish their work, then go," said the Indian high commissioner.
He said the vessels were Jamaican survey ships, chartered by private companies that secured licences from the Indian government.
The foreign secretary also said that there were no Indian navy ships in the disputed area "at this moment", although in a statement on Friday the foreign ministry said two Indian naval ships were in disputed waters, some 140 nautical miles off Mongla port.
"I have requested the high commissioner so that India removes its ships," Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office Saturday. Two Bangladesh Navy ships are patrolling the waters, he added.
Chakravarty said: "This is not a disputed area. We call it overlapping claims … we have a right, they have a right. We hope that a Bangladeshi team will go to Delhi to sort out this issue."
Replying to a question on whether the Indian ships would remain until the talks, the high commissioner said, "That is the matter for discussion."
"Bangladesh has offered this area for international bidding knowing full well there were overlapping claims. When negotiations are on, why did the Bangladesh government put it up for international bidding?"
"If we wanted to create tension, we would have done something else," the Indian envoy said laughingly. He added: "There is no chance of escalating tension. We always talk to each other."
Touhid Hossain said: "The high commissioner seemed very positive, and I hope the ships will go. He told me that he would send a note to Delhi for a meeting," he said.