Public seething in Bangladesh over strong possibility of St Martin island being handed over on lease to USA

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 21, 2025

The ongoing joint military exercise in Bangladesh between a large group of US military jawans and officers and their Bangladesh counterparts over the past few days has created serious resentment among people in Bangladesh. Even though the media as well as the ruling dispensation and forces close to it have been maintaining studied silence over the issue but fear is growing among people that the joint exercise is only a prelude to handing over of strategic St Martin island in the Bay of Bengal to US by the Yunus led Bangladesh government.

Amidst the deafening silence over the issue among mainstream political parties , the banned Awami League leaders in hiding have started speaking on the issue. Speaking on the issue on condition of anonymity Md Atiqur Rahaman (name changed) , a leader of the Awami League, said that since the year 1984 the US government had been pressing successive Bangladesh regimes to hand over on lease the St Martin island but all the governments resisted this. “Sheikh Hasina also strongly resisted this and finally the US deep state financed her ouster , specially after former US assistant secretary of state Donald Lu had visited Bangladesh to put finishing touches to the plot ensure her ouster” said Atiqur.

He added that Md Yunus who is the main beneficiary of the ouster of Sheikh Hasina must have worked out a clandestine plan to hand over the St Martin in a phased manner and the ongoing joint military exercise is only the opening to the larger events. “The US’s main purpose is to create a bulwark against expanding influence of China in this sensitive region and to try and poach on India, specially the Northeast” said Atiqur. He predicted a stormy period of agitation in Bangladesh over this sensitive issue.

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