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Dhaka rejects border curfew proposal

Agrees with Delhi to beef up watch on smuggling, drug-peddling

Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
Bangladesh has rejected India's suggestion to impose night curfew in the border areas to control illegal cross-border movement.
The rejection came yesterday at the end of a four-day director general level
talk between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi.
BGB chief Maj Gen Anwar Hussain said, "Night curfew is a temporary
solution. It will not solve the border problem permanently”.
"We don't believe in curfew. Every citizen of our country has equal right to move within the boundary. We don't believe in imposing restrictions on movement of our people,” BGB chief said at a joint media interaction after the meeting.
“However, we have to sensitise our people not to cross the border without proper documents," he added.
The two forces agreed to implement a threepronged initiative to reduce incidents of border firing to the minimum possible level.
“Both sides agreed for additional vigilance particularly in the areas earmarked sensitive border outposts and examine other possible measures that could be taken to restrict movement of smugglers and drug traffickers in bordering areas during hours of darkness,” read a joint press statement issued after the meeting.
Addressing the joint media briefing with his counterpart BSF DG UK Bansal said, “We have decided to take further measures to minimise the use of lethal weapons, and we shall avoid the use of lethal force against unarmed people and those
inadvertently crossing the border.”
Detailing the threepronged initiative, Hussain said additional security forces would be deployed by the two sides at several “vulnerable patches” along the porous border, people residing in border areas will be sensitised against illegal cross-border movement, and information would be shared real-time by BGB and BSF on movement of smugglers and other criminals during “hours of darkness".
“We made it very clear in this meeting that we don't expect any killing of unarmed civilian and both sides have taken measures towards ensuring this."
Bansal said the policy decision to bring down the incidence of border firing along the border was taken by the two governments and the home ministers of the two countries when they had met in New Delhi in February and to implement that decision “is our shared concern”.
Regarding border violence, the meeting also agreed to introduce an effective working system of communication particularly at operational level to swiftly inform the counterpart of important incidents.
The meeting reached an understanding on practical modalities for implementing the decisions taken
during the meeting of Bangladesh Home Minister Shahara Khatun and her counterpart P Chidambaram in New Delhi recently.
“We have common enemies to fight. We reached a consensus. We agreed to go beyond the limits of our jurisdiction to solve issues by implementing certain decisions on the ground instead of allowing the issues to linger on,” Hussain said.
Asked if BGB would, as a confidence-building measure, consider using non-lethal weapons to reciprocate BSF's use of the same, the BGB chief ruled it out saying, “We don't have any plan to introduce non-lethal weapons because we don't believe in killing unarmed people.”
On Bangladesh's concern over smuggling of phensedyl from India, Bansal said, "We have taken some extraordinary measures to stop the danger by seizing 33 lakh bottles in the last five years".
"There are reports to indicate that people wanted in India escape to Bangladesh and are sheltered in that country. We have given a list of 21 such people and 51 insurgent camps in Bangladesh," he said, adding that the Bangladesh side had agreed to check the lists.
Replying to a query, Hussain said Bangladesh
territory will never be allowed to be used against any other country, particularly a friendly country like India.
“We're fully satisfied with the level of coopera-tion we got from Bangladesh to apprehend the insurgents”, BSF chief said.
Smuggling of phensedyl into Bangladesh and smuggling of fake currencies into India "is of equal concern", Bansal said, adding, “Both sides are talking in terms of exchanging photos of smugglers and exchanging interrogation reports of the wanted people.”
Regarding fencing within 150 yards of the international border in 185 patches, both sides agreed to start joint survey in first week of April, the joint statement said.
“Realising the growing threat posed by the criminals and pirates in the Sunderbans area, both sides agreed to intensify patrolling,” it added.
On the debatable issue of undertaking developmental works within 150 yards of international border, the two sides agreed to inform each other well in advance before starting any such work.
Hussain led a 22-member delegation at the talks with the BSF.