The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday handed over a list of 1,591 criminals hiding in different parts of India to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).

On the other hand, BSF handed over a list of 141 camps of Indian insurgents allegedly operating in Bangladesh. They also requested the BDR to demolish all these camps.

However, the BDR chief, rejecting the BSF claim outright, said there was no camps of Indian insurgents in Bangladesh.

"We have investigated the Indian claims of the existence of 141 camps of insurgents in Bangladesh, but did not find anyone of them," BDR Director-General Major General Shakil Ahmed said. "In spite of this we will carry out our investigations further," he said.

Both BDR and BSF handed over the lists to each other yesterday, the last day of a five-day border conference that concluded at the BDR Headquarters in Dhaka

At the conference, the BDR and BSF officials agreed to show utmost restraint and not to press the trigger in daytime to stop trespass at the borders.

BDR Director-General Major General Shakil Ahmed and Indian BSF Director-General Ashish Kumar Mitra expressed an identical view that trespassers be arrested instead of shooting down.

At least 52 Bangladeshi civilians have been reported killed by Indian BSF troops in the past eight months, indicating a rising incidence of shooting on sight on the frontier.

The border conference at director general level, which ended with the signing of a joint record of discussion, reached a consensus on handing over terrorists hiding in each other's country and exchanging information about them.

Regarding non-demarcation of 6.5 kms of the common boundary, it was decided that the BSF Director General would request the Indian government to take effective step to demarcate the borderline that includes 2 kms of Muhurir Char, 1.5 kms of Doikhata and 3 kms of Lathitila.

On unfettered access of Bangladeshi inhabitants of Dahagram and Angarpota through Tin Bigha corridor, the BDR chief said they are contemplating building a flyover connecting the two enclaves with the Bangladesh mainland so they can vault over the regulated Indian passage.

"It would be finalized with the approval of the two governments."

He reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to implementation of the 1974 Mujib-Indira border agreement and the 1975 Bangladesh-India border guidelines to resolve problems concerning construction of defense infrastructure, military barbed-wire fences and installations.

In reply to a question the BSF chief said three Bangladeshi criminals had already been handed over to Bangladesh authorities and more criminals who are facing cases in Kolkata court would be turned over after the court's judgement.

The BDR side handed over a list of 1,591 "criminals" while BSF handed over a list of 141 "insurgent camps"-a swap routinely done at such border talks between the two next-door neighbors.

Mitra welcomed what he called dismantling by BDR two Indian "insurgents" camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts recently, but the BDR chief refused to dub those "insurgents" camps.

The BDR Director General said, "There are no Indian insurgent camps in Bangladesh to the best of my knowledge. We have investigated earlier on the basis of Indian list, but no such camp was found."

General Shakil said two bamboo-made huts which were destroyed might have been used by local criminals--they did not belong to Indian insurgent outfits.

In reply to a question he said 52 Bangladeshis were killed in last eight months, two of them within the Bangladesh territory while the rest on the Indian side.

"Those who crossed the international border I cannot call them innocent," said the BDR chief.

However, he said the trespassers should not be killed by shooting.

The BDR chief hoped that the people in border areas would live in more peaceful and tranquil environment following the positive approach and decisions taken during the just-concluded conference.

The BSF chief proposed once-or twice-a-month meeting between the two border guards at the sector commander level.

Asked if ULFA leader Anup Chetia would be handed over in exchange for Bangladeshi criminals, the BDR chief rejected outright such a barter, saying that the matter did not come up since it is not the jurisdiction of the BDR and BSF.

The BSF chief assured the conference that he would make strong representation to the Indian government to transform temporary pillars into permanent pillars along a 35.5-km frontline in Berubari, Singipara-Kudhipara of Panchagarh district.

He said development works along the border were completed in last six months, but some repairs relating to river training and river embankments need to be done under the supervision of the Joint River Commission (JRC).

The two sides agreed to take stern action against smuggling of illegal arms, ammo, explosives, phensidyl, heroin, ganja and other drugs.