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Dhaka lodges protest over killings by BSF

Dipu Moni says move on to retain US duty-free access

Diplomatic Correspondent
Dhaka has termed the killing of Bangladeshi nationals on the border by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) "unpardonable, excessive and very unfortunate”.
“Killing is in no way pardonable ... it's not at all desirable,” Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told a press conference at her ministry yesterday.
Expressing Bangladesh's concern over the recent killing of its citizens, the minister
said Dhaka had earlier got assurances from the highest level of the Indian side that border killings would be stopped. "The number has decreased, but it will have to be brought down to zero."
Replying to a query, she said the government had always lodged protests against the killing incidents upon verification from the Border Guards of Bangladesh.
On Sunday, it sent a strong protest to the Indian government over the recent killings, she added.
Meanwhile, an official said the foreign ministry had sent a formal note of protest to New Delhi through the Indian high commission in Dhaka.
At the press conference, Dipu Moni said the deputy commissioners of the bordering districts had been asked to ensure that no
Bangladeshis sought to cross the border at nighttime.
She, however, observed that both sides needed to act to put an end to these incidents. “Whether the shooting was unilateral could be ascertained by examining the place of occurrence and time.”
Asked about the US threat of lifting the GSP facility for Bangladeshi products, she said the US trade representative had written a letter to the commerce ministry, and a copy had been sent to her ministry by the US ambassador.
“We will properly explain our position at an appropriate time. We want the continuation of the GSP facility," the minister said, adding that the government had already taken necessary steps to ensure safety in the garment industry.
After the Tazreen factory fire, people have become
more conscious about the issue of compliance, which she said was better than many other countries.
She said though garment export to the US under GSP or Generalised System of Preference (duty-free access) accounted for only 0.6 percent of Bangladesh's total export, “we certainly want to retain the GSP facility, and bilateral negotiations are on”.
“Ties with the USA are stronger than at any time in the past,” she claimed, citing the partnership dialogue agreement signed between the two countries during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton'svisitto Bangladesh.
About the performance in the last four years, Dipu Moni said her ministry was able to project Bangladesh as a nation that is non-communal, democratic, press-friendly, and respectful of human rights.
Of the successes, she continued, the most important was the triumph over Myanmar in the maritime dispute case, as it established Bangladesh's legitimate right to the Bay ofBengal.
Replying to another question, the minister said both Bangladesh and India were still hopeful of signing a Teesta water-sharing deal and implementing the land boundary agreement.
Asked if the government was under pressure from foreign diplomats with regard to the next general election, she said the way the envoys used to make remarks before the present government came to office had changed.
She further said the issue of national election was an internal affair that would be settled by Bangladeshi people and politicians, and outsiders had nothing to do about it.