Call it Jajira or St. Martin's-the coral island is quite far from the mainland of Bangladesh. But its 'owner' is still Bangladesh, of that there is no doubt. Some recent events have caused considerable concern among the public about the well-being of the people of the island. Concern that demands a responsible investigation and queries. Unfortunately, few on social media show the patience for responsible investigation. As a result, you often find a plethora of untruths or semi-truths floating around on it. At the same time, it often removes the focus from the main problem.

St Martin's can be reached by two waterways from Cox's Bazar. A slightly winding path, fraught with danger-faced with big waves. Another route is through the calmer Naf River. Usually everyone takes the latter route to St. Martin's. But there has been a navigability crisis in this river for a long time, ignored by the authorities of both countries. Due to the lack of navigability, Bangladeshi vessels are being forced to traverse a portion of the route at least three kilometres inside the waters of Burma. The concerned authorities have been saying that the problem has not been solved even though they have been told many times that it is their responsibility to maintain the navigability of the river.

Meanwhile, the Burmese civil war in Arakan has reached a critical phase. The war has also spread to the sea. The Tatmadaw's warships are also frequently being attacked by the small speedboats of the Arakan Army. As a result, the ships of Bangladesh too are being shot at from that side when they are approaching the Burmese side of the Naf. This can be done by both the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army, thinking they might be enemy ships.

But although the situation may have reached a head in the past week to ten days, it was not created yesterday or the day before. It has been building up for a long time, and can be said to have increased since the turn of the year. The solution would have to be either solving the navigability crisis on the Naf, or the initiation of a ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army. Needless to say, only one of those is truly in our hands.

Bangladesh has captured about 700 Tatmadaw soldiers who fled their posts in the last few months. The government however has shown a reluctance towards using them as bargaining chips in any negotiation with the Myanmar government, even on the Rohingya issue. Our options would seem to be more limited when it comes to the Arakan Army, even though it is said to be controlling more than half of Rakhine these days. The Navy, in a belated notice circulated by the ISPR, has said it is in constant communication with the Tatmadaw. But what about the Arakan Army's firing? Who will take responsibility if a Bangladeshi vessel gets caught up in their firing? 'Ownership' also implies responsibility. Who will take responsibility for St. Martin's, in the context of the war in Myanmar spilling over?

In the final analysis, even if the shooting stops tomorrow, the Naf's navigability will have to be improved. Will the Bangladesh government do it, or will we look to Naypridaw? If not, boat owners will have to take the riskier detour by sea to St. Martin's, increasing the cost for passengers and goods transportation. On the evidence of this month's events, the time for a decision on these matters is now.