Untold Facts

Bangladesh: A Neighbors Playground?

Geo strategic Game

A small news item caught my eyes. Tambru Canal between Bangladesh and Myanmar was playing foul with us. It has been breaking our side of the bank while building territory to the other over the past few decades. Looked like we were totally oblivious of this game of nature and remained quiet about it. According to other reports, Myanmar laid claims to its maritime boundary extending far into Bangladesh territorial rights. India, Sri Lanka and Thailand had already made their respective claims in the bay that overlap Bangladesh territory. I think Bangladesh hasn’t done yet; I am not sure if there is any left to be claimed.

The way things are going, I am afraid we may find ourselves virtually landlocked soon. Foreign navies, ships and fishing trawlers will rule our southern estuaries and maritime waters, which they usually do now unabatedly without much challenge. And, we may perhaps have to pay royalty to find a passage to the sea soon.

From the west, north and east we are mostly wire-fenced, as if we are a bunch of untouchables and need to be contained. Waters in most of the 54 common rivers are controlled and siphoned off upstream by India at will before they can find their way into Bangladesh. The “shujala shufala shaisha shaymala (the green)” Bangladesh is fast converting into a barren land. During monsoons we get over flooded, at times without any rainfall within our borders. The encroachment on Bangladesh is a continuing process.

Of late, the Tipaimukh dam on river Barak, just a kilometer away from the border of Sylhet, has generated considerable concern and commotion in the country. Our government refuses to see anything but ‘benefits’ in it. Barak is the source of water for three major rivers of Bangladesh—Meghna, Surma and Kushiara. If Tipaimukh is implemented, the net ‘benefit’ to Bangladesh will be that most of its eastern half will be without water during dry seasons with all other collateral affects, the experts opine.

Foreign secretary of India, Shiv Shankar Menon, made an unannounced visit to Bangladesh last month, ostensibly to lecture our officials on the ‘benefits’ of Tipaimukh to Bangladesh. And our gullible ministers have since been playing the HMV. The foreign minister said Bangladesh would take up the issue with India if the project did not bring benefit to us, perhaps meaning let the project be implemented then we would weigh our benefit. The finance minister took solace saying that it would adversely affect the regions in India more than Bangladesh. While our all-knowing commerce minister termed the opponents of Tipaimukh virtually illiterate who, according to him, talked without any knowledge of the project. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that a few Awami followers seemed to find Indian criminality in the Tipaimukh.

We have observed that the government is talking more and more about dredging our rivers these days. While regular dredging is certainly important for river communication and water management, it can not be a substitute to the upstream diversion of waters. Is it diversion tactic of the Tipaimukh challenge?

Without pointing fingers at fixing responsibility, Farakka example is before us. Farakka was conceived in the 1950s, planned in 60s despite Pakistani objections and implemented in 70s. The UN, the JRC and umpteen bilateral agreements on sharing had no consequence on India’s unilateral withdrawal of waters upstream, depriving Bangladesh of its minimum share. It was in total violation of the terms of agreement and international laws. At that time too, we were told of many ‘benefits’ of Farakka before it was commissioned. Today, the western half of Bangladesh is fast turning into a barren land with patches of deserts. In addition, the encroachment of salinity in the deltaic belt adversely affected agricultural crops, sweet water fish and other marine products. Shortage of water in dry seasons increased arsenic chemicals, depleted subsoil water which is crucial for shallow and deep wells as well as for irrigation. We have been losing our environmental flora and fauna with the loss of green, vegetation and forestry. Experts can cite many more serious consequences of a death-trap like Farakka.

Mr. Mohiuddin Alamgir has a very informative article on Farakka and Tipaimukh in the New Age on June 15, 2009. The NFB posted in its internet site too.

I recall, in 1976 when General Ziaur Rahman decided to knock the doors of the UN, after repeated failure at the bilateral level on Farakka, India made it a laughing issue on the UN floors. They mocked the issue by commenting that next time they would bring a few Kalsis (pitchers) of water and give to Bangladesh. Finally, India succeeded to relegate the Farakka back to bilateralism. We know the rest of the story. The US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake gave a similar prescription the other day: resolve Tipaimukh bilaterally, perhaps hinting US would not support internationalization of Tipaimukh. Whose line is it anyway?

India said to have informed Bangladesh of the Tipaimukh project in 1972 with the same old assurances: it was a hydroelectric project, not an irrigational one and that it would help Bangladesh in controlling floods. It is strange we took it so lightly so long! With a burning example of Farakka, do we need to be fooled again?

India is big, powerful and has larger international clout. It has been bulldozing its will over its neighbors. It has largely been successful not to allow its smaller neighbors grow in stature by way of interfering in the growth of their indigenous institutions—be those political, economic or social. Many call it India’s hegemoism with neighbors so that it can reign supreme. Bangladesh is the worst sufferer in this game, thanks to the paid or unpaid agents within and outside. These agents seem to have been brainwashed to think that salvation of Bangladesh lies in the lap of India.

How many Farakkas, Tipaimukhs and Talpattis shall we need to let a section of our so-called intelligentsia understand what a big game our big neighbor is playing with us? An Indian general had already warned its authorities that Bangladesh should not be allowed to slip out of Indian radar screen. Isn’t it time for them to wake up and visualize how they are acting as pawns to this big game?

We should not have any conflict or contradiction with India’s size, power or its global ambition. We want to live as an independent and sovereign nation. Otherwise there was no need of 1971. We want friendship and cooperation with India and other neighbors; there are many areas we can help each other. But all these help and cooperation should be on the basis of mutual respect and sovereign equality. We should not subjugate ourselves to any terror tactics on corridors, transit facilities, Asian Highways, enclaves, Talpatti, border demarcation, maritime boundary and others at the cost of our sovereignty. We must remember world is a close and compact place today and nobody is isolated.

Recalling the poem of “Babui and Chorai Pakhi” that we all studied as toddlers, let us build our own house and be happy, rather than seeking passive happiness and false prosperity in the lap of a rich neighbor.

Author: A O Chowdhury, NY, USA