Bangladesh–Myanmar ITLOS Verdict: Precedence for India?

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is a body set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to deal with disputes that emerge because of a difference in the interpretation and application of the convention. 1 Bangladesh has had an ongoing maritime boundary dispute with India and Myanmar since 1974. On 14 March 2012, the ITLOS delivered a verdict and ended the long-running maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

In the current global world, energy resources are a crucial element for a nation’s growth. India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are no different in this regard. India discovered 100 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas reserve in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) in 2005–2006. Soon after, Myanmar discovered seven tcf of gas reserves near the Rakhine coast. This discovery of colossal gas reserves sparked a claim-staking contest between the three countries in the BoB.