Just months after an interim government in Bangladesh took over following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August, officials refuted a misleading claim shared online that it depicted senior military leaders discussing the handover of the Bangladeshi island of Saint Martin to the government . United States. According to spokespeople for both governments, the messages included a photo of military representatives meeting to discuss routine matters in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. There are no official reports that Bangladesh has ceded control of the island to the United States United States from November 12, 2024.
The photo was shared on Facebook on November 1, 2024 with a Bengali caption that read: “The process of handing over Saint Martin is over! Alas, the unfortunate nation will one day cry for the Sheikh’s daughter!”
It was shared by a former leader of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.
After Hasina was ousted, the interim government – led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – banned the Chhatra League, citing its involvement in violent attacks on student protests (archived here).
The photo was also shared on Facebook here and here with a similar misleading claim.
The US State Department in 2023 rejected allegations that it was planning to take over the island of Sint Maarten after Hasina and her party leaders accused Washington of pressuring Dhaka to lease the area and turn it into a military base ( archived here).
Hasina has subsequently claimed that the United States played a role in her ouster because it wanted to take over the island – an accusation the White House has denied (archived here).
In November this year, both the US and Bangladeshi governments separately refuted reports that military officials were meeting to discuss transferring control of the island.
“This is blatant fake news. Saint Martin’s is an integral part of Bangladesh and should not be rented out to any country,” said Shafiqul Alam, press adviser to the interim Bangladesh government that replaced Hasina.
“The meeting was a routine program and seven such meetings have been held in the last few years,” he said.
“These claims are completely false,” said Asha Beh, acting press secretary at the US Embassy in Dhaka.
There are no official reports that Bangladesh has ceded the island to the US as of November 12, 2024.
‘Routine meeting’
The Bangladesh Army said the photo was taken during routine Land Forces Talks (LFT) with 19 of its representatives and one 17 members delegation of the US military in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, at the end of October.
A reverse image search in Google found the photo here on the website of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Department of the Ministry of Defense of Bangladesh (archived here).
It was titled “Successful completion of the 8th LAND FORCES TALKS (LFT)-2024 between Bangladesh and United States”.
“The two-day 8th Land Forces Talks (LFT) 2024 between Bangladesh and the United States from October 30 to October 31, 2024 concluded today Thursday (October 31, 2024) at the Army Multipurpose Complex, Dhaka Cantonment,” the report said .
“The high-level meeting was attended by representatives of the militaries of both countries and fruitful discussions were held on several important issues to enhance mutual cooperation.”
The release included the photo alongside the caption: “US Delegation Leader Major General Scott A. Winter and Brigadier General Humayun Kabir of the Bangladesh Army sign on behalf of their country during the 8th LAND FORCES TALKS-2024.”
Bangladesh’s interim government, which posted Press Wing Facts on Facebook as chief advisor, clarified on November 2 that the talks were part of a regular arrangement between the two countries, and not a “handover meeting” for the island of St. Maarten (here archived).
“The Army Talks between the Bangladesh Army and the US Army in the Pacific have been going on for several years. The 7th Army Talks took place from August 14 to 16, 2023 at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Any report that the talks associated with Saint Martin’s Island is a Rumor has it that the interim government has repeatedly made it clear that it has no intention of leasing the island to any other country for any purpose.’
