St. Martin’s Island could look a nondescript piece of land, nestled in the northeastern reaches of the Bay of Bengal. But this little piece of land has recently garnered significant attention following the political upheaval in Bangladesh, which led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
According to reports, Hasina suggested that the United States played a role in her ouster, allegedly due to her refusal to cede control of St. Martin’s Island to the US. Although this accusation was reportedly part of a speech that Hasina never delivered, her son, Sajeeb Wazed, has since denied that she made any such claims before fleeing Dhaka on August 5 amid widespread protests which led the fall of her government.
Notably, this is not the first time Hasina has made such allegations. Ahead of the upcoming January elections in Bangladesh, she claimed that “a white man” had offered her a seamless return to power in exchange for granting an airbase. Known locally as Narikel Jinjira, due to its abundance of coconut trees, or Daruchini Dwip, St.
Martin’s Island is a unique and ecologically sensitive area, being Bangladesh’s only coral island. Spanning approximately 3 square kilometers, this small but strategically important landmass lies about 9 kilometers south of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula's tip. Despite its modest size, the island is renowned for its rich biodiversity, including vibrant coral reefs, diverse marine life, and rare bird species, making it a crucial.