26 June 2024

Myanmar’s Conflict Reaches the Doorstep of Bangladesh’s Saint Martin’s Island

Saqlain Rizve

This February, I went on a three day vacation with my friends to Saint Martin’s Island, an 8-square-kilometer island in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. The island is also known as Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island) or Daruchini Dwip (Cinnamon Island).

It was around 9:00 a.m. on February 14. I had just woken up. Soon after, I heard a booming sound mingling with the melody of the saltwater waves. Five minutes later, the sound came again – this time three consecutive blasts.

At our resort, I overheard some people talking. “I’ve been hearing that sound since early morning,” one said. “Locals say it’s the sound of bombing and firing between the resistance group and the Myanmar Army.”

Although Saint Martin’s Island is under Bangladesh’s jurisdiction, it is only eight kilometers from the Myanmar coast. The island’s southern and western parts are bordered by an endless expanse of the Bay of Bengal, while the northern coast faces mainland Bangladesh. The island is around nine kilometers away from Teknaf, a subdistrict in Cox’s Bazar District.

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