Burma withdraws warships from Bay of Bengal

by Mizzima News

Thursday, 06 November 2008 16:58

New Delhi - Burma has withdrawn two warships after a four-day standoff with neighboring Bangladesh over disputed waters in the Bay of Bengal, reports say. The two warships were sent to support a Korean oil company, who is drilling in the Bay of Bengal about 50 kilometers south of Bangladesh's Saint Martin Island. "Myanmar [Burma] has withdrawn two warships," a senior Bangladesh Navy officer was quoted as saying by the AFP. The official said, "There is now very little tension" as the other four ships engaged in the Bay of Bengal for exploration activities are also preparing to back off. "Their drilling works have already been stopped. We will also withdraw our vessels as soon as they remove the drilling ships," the official told AFP. Meanwhile, the Burmese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Phe Thann Oo, has flown back to Burma to join Burmese and Bangladeshi officials in talks to dissolve the dispute, an embassy official told Mizzima on Thursday. Similarly, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury also flew to Burma on Thursday to attend the talks. The two countries had earlier agreed to discuss disputed sea boundaries in December. < Prev   Next >