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YANGON: Bangladeshi diplomats headed to Yangon on Wednesday to try and smooth tensions over gas exploration in disputed waters, as a Myanmar official blamed "outsiders" for stoking the row.
Bangladesh earlier this week deployed four warships to the Bay of Bengal close to the border between the two countries after accusing Myanmar of carrying out gas exploration in a disputed stretch of sea.
Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladesh's foreign minister, said a three-member team led by foreign secretary Touhid Hossain had left for Yangon.
"I hope there is a diplomatic solution to this issue and the relevant authorities would dismantle the installation in disputed territorial waters," Chowdhury told AFP.
He also warned of possible military action, should Myanmar continue with its exploration work.
"Our intention has always been peaceful. But we have to let them know that Bangladesh will defend her territorial sovereignty in every way possible," he said.
A senior official from Myanmar's military government said they were open to talks, but insisted that oil and gas companies were operating inside their territory and far away from the disputed sea boundary.
"Our offshore fields are far from the disputed Friendship Line. The field exploration area is in our own territory," he told AFP.
"We will try to solve this peacefully, but we are also ready to protect our country if needed ... we will not tolerate being insulted, although we do want good will. We will continue with exploration."
The official, who refused to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media, claimed that other countries were meddling in the spat, and implied that the United States had a hand in the dispute.
"The acts of Bangladesh have the signs of instigation by outsiders," he said. "A US warship is now in Bangladesh doing joint exercises. Bangladesh threatened us with no reason."
A spokesman at the American embassy in Dhaka said that a US Navy salvage ship had arrived last week in the southeastern Bangladesh port of Chittagong, but said it had nothing to do with the Bangladesh-Myanmar dispute.
- AFP/yt
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