Covering just three-square kilometres, the island is home to around 3,700 residents who primarily engage in fishing, rice cultivation, coconut farming, and seaweed harvesting, which is dried and exported to Myanmar. Recently, the island gained attention due to allegations that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (who was recently freed), had planned to sell it to the United States for the construction of a military base in exchange for electoral support. However, the US State Department dismissed these claims, affirming its commitment to respecting Bangladesh’s sovereignty and promoting democracy through free and fair elections.
