November 06, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 7, 1429

DHAKA, Nov 5: Myanmar on Wednesday suspended gas exploration in the disputed waters of the Bay of Bengal after Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements with South Korea and China on the issue.

On Tuesday, Bangladesh had deployed naval troops aboard four frigates to reinforce its position in the bay. Bangladesh also sent diplomatic missions to Yangon, seeking peaceful resolution to the crisis.

“We came to know that the Korean company Daewoo has suspended exploration in view of security problems and, maybe, the Myanmar authorities have accepted the suspension of the exploration,” the official said.

A three-member Bangladesh delegation, led by Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain, is already in Yangon to try to resolve the crisis through talks.

Reports from Chittagong say the BNS Kopothakka, a warship that Bangladesh deployed on Tuesday, was pulled back on Wednesday in the hope that the issue will be settled amicably.

“We called back our frigates as tension eased, while Myanmar stopped its exploration activities, but the ships stayed in the same location,” a Bangladeshi Navy official told newsmen in Chittagong.

Bangladesh has also sought China’s cooperation to defuse the crisis.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury held talks with the Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka, Zheng Qingdian, and apprised him of the situation.