Bangladesh
Historical relations between Burma and Bangladesh include centuries of trade and migration between Bengal and the kingdoms of Burma. After British colonization of the region in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, colonial policies promoted the settlement of Bengali agricultural labor in Arakan. In Bangladesh, a large population of Burmese ancestry resides in southeastern districts, including the Rakhine and Marma, as well as Burmese-Bengalis. After the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Burma became one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Bangladesh.
The presence of 270,000 Burmese Muslim refugees (Rohingya people) in southern Bangladesh have been a major irritant to bilateral relations. A 40-year maritime boundary dispute in the Bay of Bengal between the two countries was resolved at the International Tribunal for Law of the Seas in March 2012.
Bangladesh has sought transit rights through Burma, to establish connectivity with China and ASEAN through projects such as the proposed Chittagong-Mandalay-Kunming highway. The governments of both countries are also in discussions on the possible export of Burmese gas to Bangladesh, as well as setting up a joint hydroelectric power plant in Rakhine state.
The political class and civil society of Bangladesh often voiced support for Burma's pro-democracy struggle. In 2006 a petition by 500 Bangladeshi politicians and intellectuals, including Sheikh Hasina and Kamal Hossain, expressed support for Aung San Suu Kyi and called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma. After winning elections in 2008, Sheikh Hasina reiterated her position on Burma's pro-democracy struggle, calling for an end to the detention of Suu Kyi and Burmese political prisoners. The Democratic Voice of Burma radio station operates bureaus in Dhaka and Chittagong.
Burma has an embassy in Dhaka.
Read more about this topic: Foreign Relations Of Burma