The Bangladesh foreign secretary Dr. Dipu Moni said in a statement on Thursday that the government has decided to submit the maritime boundary dispute to compulsory arbitration before a UN tribunal.
She said that with a view to preserving the national wealth and sovereign rights in the Bay of Bengal, the government has decided to submit the maritime boundary dispute to compulsory arbitration under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
India and Myanmar have traced oil and gas in the sea but they raised 'objection' when Bangladesh moved to seal exploration deals with foreign companies.
Matiur Rahman Chowdhury has the details.