BANGLADESH STILL DEAF, DUMB India submits report on continental shelf claim to UNCLCS Moinuddin Naser in New York The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) will include the Indian submission of its claim on the Bay of Bengal for discussion in its 25th session to be held in New York in March-April 2010. The Executive Summary of the submission, which was gathered by the Holiday Correspondent, shows that India has claimed that the submission is 'partial' and as such India reserves the right to further extend the claim on the Bay of Bengal. Though the submission was made on 11May 2009, again India updated it on 27 May in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In this submission India has claimed its right on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. It is noted that the Convention entered into force for India on 29 July 1995. The Executive summary states: "This is a partial submission and, as a coastal state in the Southern part of the Bay of Bengal, India reserves the right to make at a later date, notwithstanding the provisions regarding the 10-year period, a separate submission on the outer limits of its continental shelf, based on the provisions of the Statement of Understanding contained in Annex II to the Final Act of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.." Bangladesh still mum However prior to the submission by India, Myanmar submitted the claim, which will be taken for consideration in the 24th session of the CLCS, which will begin in the month of August. Bangladesh is yet to make any objection to the submission by the Myanmar. However as the Indian submission will be taken up for discussion in the 25th session of the commission, Bangladesh will get some additional time to give objection to the claim if there is any. Meanwhile it is seen that China has already given objection to the Vietnam against its Continental Shelf Submission. There is none in Bangladesh Mission in New York who can be contacted to know about the position of Bangladesh while the Permanent Representative Ismat Jahan is preparing to leave to join her new position in Belgium. Serious Indian efforts The Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Geological Survey of India, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, National Geophysical Research Institute, National Hydrographic Office, National Institute of Oceanography, Oil and National Gas Corporation were involved in preparing the claim, the Executive summary of Indian submission stated. The summary stated that since India ratified the Convention on June 29, 1995, it is obliged to submit before 13 May 2009 the information on the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 2009 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. However the deadline was June 29, 2009 for this submission, but India had given so much emphasis on it that it did not give any chance to raise question about its obligation. UNCLOS criteria It may be mentioned that the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has laid down the scientific and technical criteria for the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline of a coastal state. The submission also mentioned that the claim was submitted pursuant to the provision of the convention, but "as coastal state in the Southern Part of the Bay of Bengal and in pursuance of the provisions of Statement of Understanding, India reserves the right to make a separate second partial submission of information and data to support the outer limits of the continental shelf in accordance with the provision of the statement at a later date, notwithstanding the provisions regarding the 10-year period." In the submission of continental shelf claim, India intended to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baselines in Easter Offshore and Western offshore regions. The Eastern Offshore region comprises the region of mainland India in the Bay of Bengal and the Western Offshore Region of Andaman Islands and Western offshore region in the Arabian Sea. Blocking Bangladesh In the Bay of Bengal India wants to block Bangladesh by extending its continental shelf on the western side of Andaman Islands and on the eastern side of mainland. In the eastern side the Talpatti island and two gas blocks are located in the Sundarban side, according to knowledgeable source in New York. The executive summary of the submission pointed out that India has already resolved dispute over maritime boundary with different countries. But the dispute between India and Pakistan, India and Oman and over Bay of Bengal with India-Bangladesh - Myanmar are yet to be resolved. But it is known to all that the Indian institutions like National Institute of Oceanography helped Myanmar in preparing its submission and as such it is known to all that India and Myanmar have outlined a common strategy regarding Bay of Bengal, which aimed at grabbing Bangladesh's right over the Bay of Bengal and its access to international sea conference routes. Incumbent member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (2007 - Present) Dr S Rajan and former member Dr Naresh Kumar Thakur assisted the preparation of Indian submission. But Bangladesh has got no such expert and still the country is playing a deaf and dumb role in this regard, knowledgeable sources said. |
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