Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina claims, according to an Indian newspaper, that the United States would be behind his ouster.
There was news about it on Sunday The Economic Times. The newspaper reported that it had received Hasina’s statement from people close to her.
According to the newspaper, in her message, Hasina accuses the United States of being complicit in her overthrow because it wants to control the island of Saint Martin, which belongs to Bangladesh.
Hasina claimed that she could have continued in power if she had relinquished control of the island of Saint Martin and allowed the United States to dominate the Bay of Bengal.
Saint Martin is an island of three square kilometers, located about eight kilometers from the border with Myanmar in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal.
Almost 4,000 people live on the island, known for its coral reefs and rare bird species. Their livelihoods include fishing, farming and tourism.
The island is strategically located
Rumors have been circulating for years that the United States would like to take control of the island of Saint Martin, says an Indian online publication The Print.
According to the publication, the US ambassador to Bangladesh had already denied in 2003 that the US was seeking to establish a military base on the island.
Saint Martin is of strategic importance because it is located relatively close to the Strait of Malacca, through which Chinese cargo ships pass. In addition, the island could monitor the activities of China, Myanmar and India in the Bay of Bengal, Indian security sources told The Print.
Indian sources told the publication that they have no first-hand knowledge that the US would like to take control of the island.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that the US was not involved in Hasina’s ouster.
– We believe that the people of Bangladesh should decide the future of the government of Bangladesh. This is our position, Jean-Pierre said at a media conference, according to the news agency Reuters.
Hasina made some strange claims earlier
US-based son of Sheikh Hasina and former advisor to the Bangladesh government Sajeeb Wazed has given mixed comments about the events in Bangladesh and his mother’s divorce.
Over the weekend, Wazed claimed in an interview with the AFP news agency that unidentified foreign forces had supported the protests against Hasina’s government. He provided no evidence for his claims.
– Only the intelligence service would have the ability to smuggle and deliver weapons to the protesters, Wazed told AFP.
On Sunday, Wazed seemed to have another voice on the clock. Wazed wrote in the message service X that the statement published in the newspaper in the name of his mother is completely fabricated and not true.
In April, Hasina had told the Parliament of Bangladesh that America was trying to change the country’s administration, says The Economic Times.
According to the newspaper, last December a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova in turn claimed that the United States intends to create an “Arab Spring”-like situation to change the government if Hasina wins the election.
In May, a Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported that Hasina had claimed that an unnamed foreign power was planning to establish a “Christian state” in the region, which would consist of parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
According to the paper, Hasina claimed that she would have been promised an easy victory for a second term in January’s parliamentary elections if she had allowed a foreign power to build an airbase on Bangladeshi territory.
Hasina said that the offer had been made by a “white man”. He said he refused.
The protests led to the resignation of the prime minister
The Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina won the parliamentary elections in January.
Thousands of members of opposition parties were arrested in connection with the elections. The US said the election was not free and fair.
Violent protests broke out in Bangladesh in July. They started with student protests against quotas reserved for certain groups of people in government jobs.
The protests escalated into a movement demanding Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation. More than 450 people died in the unrest.
Hasina’s 15-year reign ended when she fled to India about a week ago. He has not spoken publicly since his resignation.
Last week, an interim government was established in Bangladesh with the aim of carrying out reforms and holding parliamentary elections in the coming months.
Sources: AFP, Reuters