Although Sheikh Hasina did not mention the name of the country that wants to establish an airbase in Bangladesh, it is well-assumed that it is the US, which, for many years has been eyeing St. Martin Island, a small island (area only 3 km2) in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, forming the southernmost part of the country.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused several Western nations, United States and and Britain, of plotting to "carve out “a Christian state like East Timor, taking parts from Bangladesh and Myanmar." She refrained from mentioning the name of India.
Sheikh Hasina also claimed a "white man offered her a hassle-free reelection in the January 7 elections provided she allowed a foreign country to establish an air base in Bangladesh territory, according to an eurasiantimes.com report. The Bangladesh Prime Minister, however, did not name the nationality of the “white man.”
Sheik Hasina mentioned that business activities have been going through the Bay and the Indian Ocean since ancient times, saying "many have their eyes on this place."
"There is no controversy here, no conflict. I won’t let that happen. This is also one of my crimes [in their eyes]”, Hasina was quoted as saying.
“The offer came from a white man. It may appear that it is aimed at only one country, but it is not. I know where else they intend to go. There will be more trouble. But don’t worry about it. If I allowed a certain country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, then I would have had no problem,” THE PM said about the proposal for the airbase.
Although Sheikh Hasina did not mention the name of the country that wants to establish an airbase in Bangladesh, it is well-assumed that it is the US, which, for many years has been eyeing St. Martin Island, a small island (area only 3 km2) in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, forming the southernmost part of the country.
In June 2023, there was a rumor in Dhaka stating Washington was demanding St. Martin Island in exchange for the favour of the ruling Awami League government, the report said. Later, spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, asserted that the United States has never engaged in any discussions regarding taking control of St Martin’s Island or has any intention to do so.
On June 19, 2023, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu questioned whether the US is meddling in Bangladesh’s affairs for the sake of democracy or for control of Saint Martin’s Island.
Inu said the US "wants to make Bangladesh a playfroung to dominate India".
"It’s time for us to think about the reason for America’s over-enthusiasm. Is it Democracy or Saint Martin’s Island? The United States has suddenly become very enthusiastic about Bangladesh. They actually want to make Bangladesh a playground to ‘dominate’ India,” Inu said.