http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/08/09/d40809011717.htm
The Daily Star, Vol. 5 Num 74
Mon. August 09, 2004
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday refuted the Indian Border Security
Force's (BSF) claim that Bangladesh cocoons Indian insurgents by
allowing camps inside its territory.
The BDR yesterday in an official statement rejected the BSF suggestions.
Earlier on August 6, SC Vastava, Inspector General of BSF's Assam,
Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland (AMM-N) Frontier, made the allegations
in a press conference in Shillong. He also said a fresh list of 195
camps of Indian insurgents in Bangladesh had been handed over to BDR
delegation in the meeting held between BDR and BSF at Comilla from
August 2 to 5.
Vastava said 'the BDR authorities kept mum when an offer for joint
operation by the two border guarding forces to dismantle the camps from
both countries was made.'
The BDR yesterday claimed the aforementioned statement to be far from
the truth.
They said Brig Gen Md Ibrahim Khalil, deputy director general of BDR,
who led the Bangladeshi delegation, during the talks categorically
rejected the BSF's claim about Indian insurgents' camp inside
Bangladesh.
The DDG of BDR also reiterated that Bangladesh never allowed any
criminals or insurgents to operate in its territory since it goes
contrary to the national policy, the statement added.
The BDR statement said the BSF delegation has been informed that BDR had
carried out in-depth search to trace out Indian insurgents and terrorist
camps but could not find any.
BDR also set aside the BSF offer to conduct a joint operation saying
that as there is no camp of Indian insurgents in Bangladesh, any
question of such drives does not at all arise.