The Asian Age – Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to consider ‘corrective’ steps on Indo-Bangla border

Rajnish Sharma, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 11 August 2012. The Cabinet Committee on Security will soon discuss threadbare security along the India-Bangladesh border and suggest “corrective measures, particularly in areas of strategic importance like border fencing, checking infiltration and smuggling”.

Top government sources said the comprehensive security review at the CCS level was necessitated by the recent ethnic violence in Assam, whose roots lie in cross-border infiltration. The government, sources added, attached a lot of importance to the violence in Assam and was keen to ensure there was no repeat of such incidents in future. This is more so as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam.

“It is an easy excuse to say Assam has a history of such ethnic clashes. But this time we need to get to the root cause and fix it. This review is a great opportunity for security agencies as it will go beyond Assam and look at security hazards in the entire Northeast due to the highly porous border,” a senior government official said.

While work on the 3,400-km fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border is said to be progressing at a “satisfactory pace”, certain patches are still an area of concern. Sources claim that a stretch of at least 40 km at different places in Assam is still not fenced. In addition, there are riverine areas which are not patrolled properly. Floodlighting along the fencing also has to be expedited, officials said.

After the recent ethnic clashes, the intelligence agencies have told the government there was an “erratic increase” in population in some Assam districts, including Kokrajhar and Dhubri, among the areas worst affected by rioting.

http://www.asianage.com/india/ccs-consider-corrective-steps-indo-bangla-border-832

The Asian Age – Happy to share Teesta: Mamata

Kaushik Pradhan, Asian Age Corespondent

Kolkata, 17 November 2011. The Teesta water-sharing issue would not strain cordial relations between West Bengal and Bangladesh. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced this while addressing a joint press conference with Bangladesh foreign minister Dipu Moni at the state secretariat, the Writers’ Buildings, on Wednesday.

She also informed that the state government has formed a study group under the chairmanship of river expert Kalyan Rudra to find out the implications of sharing Teesta water.

India and Bangladesh were supposed to sign the Teesta water-sharing accord in September during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh, but the Union government had to back out from signing the agreement after Ms Banerjee raised objections to it.

“We will be happy if Bangladesh gets more water from Teesta. But the state had some objections regarding the way the agreement was framed because it would hamper the Teesta Barrage project and some thermal power plant projects,” Ms Banerjee informed.

She added, “An expert team will review the entire situation and would guide us on the way the agreement has to be made. Bangladesh is our friend nation and we are not against giving water to it. The two countries will resolve the matter through discussions and there will neither be a problem nor any controversy. But water has to be shared in such a formula so that North Bengal doesn’t face a water crisis, the projects are not hampered and Bangladesh’s interest is also kept.”

Ms Moni said since the matter of sharing Teesta waters was a bilateral issue, it has to be negotiated between the Bangladesh and Indian governments. “West Bengal’s concern regarding Teesta water is an internal affair of the state and the Union government and so I have nothing to comment on it. But the cordial relations between West Bengal and Bangladesh will remain and will be further strengthened,” Ms Moni said.

She also invited Ms Banerjee to visit Bangladesh for attending two programmes in December and March. The chief minister accepted the invitation and assured that she would visit the neighbouring country depending on her other engagements.

The Bangladesh foreign minister Moni also informed that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accepted the invitation to attend the Calcutta University’s convocation.

During the meeting, the chief minister also proposed the Bangladesh foreign minister to form a task force between the two countries on cultural industry.

http://www.asianage.com/india/happy-share-teesta-mamata-674

BBC News – Saudi beheading of eight Bangladesh workers condemned

By Anbarasan Ethirajan

Dhaka, 8 October 2011. The public execution of eight Bangladeshi migrant workers in Saudi Arabia has been condemned by a leading human rights group in Bangladesh, Ain O Salish Kendra.

The workers were beheaded in public in Riyadh on Friday after they were found guilty of killing an Egyptian in 2007.

Three other Bangladeshis were sentenced to prison terms and flogging in the same case.

More than two million Bangladeshis work in Saudi Arabia.

The human rights group says the execution of Bangladeshi workers should be condemned by anyone who cares for humanity.

It says that although the executions were carried out in accordance with Saudi law, the public beheading of the workers will cause immense suffering and trauma for their family members back at home.

It points out that often foreign workers don’t understand Saudi court proceedings in Arabic and they rarely get lawyers to represent their case.

It has urged the Bangladeshi government to offer legal assistance to migrant workers facing trial.

The money sent home by migrant workers in Bangladesh play a crucial role in the country’s economy.

Amnesty International says since the end of the holy month of Ramadan, executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate.

The latest beheadings bring the total number of executions in the country this year to 58, more than twice the figure for the whole of 2010.

It says many of those executed in recent years have been foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from developing countries.

It has called on the Saudi government for an immediate moratorium on executions and to commute all death sentences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15228607

The Asian Age – PM: I consulted Mamata on Teesta deal

Sanjay Basak (On board Air India one), Asian Age Correspondent

8 September 2011. Appearing upset at the failure of the Teesta accord, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday revealed details of his consultations with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and how she changed her stand at the last moment.

Ms Banerjee’s claims that she was not taken into confidence while finalising the final Teesta accord was subtly refuted by Dr Singh, who made it clear he was personally in touch with Ms Banerjee. He said national security adviser Shivshankar Menon had gone to Dhaka to finalise the accord only after getting her consent. “I was in touch with her for quite some time, and then sent Menon to seek guidance from her and consult her. It was over a month back.” He added “all technical details were sorted out” in the talks between Mr Menon and Ms Banerjee.

At the last CCPA meeting, Trinamul Congress minister Dinesh Trivedi “suddenly raised some objections for the first time”. The PM again sent Mr Menon to consult her, only after which he left for Dhaka to put the final touches to the deal. However, leaving scope for a possible misunderstanding in communication, the PM said: “I don’t know what the chief minister said, and what Menon understood, and then he flew to Dhaka.”

Despite initial assurances, Ms Banerjee said “because of some other factors she (Mamata) would not accompany me.

Later I knew what the reason was,” Dr Singh added.

The PM, however, reiterated “Mamata Banerjee continues to be an important leader, and we will continue to work very closely with her.” He added that “nothing will be done against the interest of West Bengal”. Dr Singh also referred to the “great contribution” the late Jyoti Basu had made to the 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty.

http://www.asianage.com/india/pm-i-consulted-mamata-teesta-deal-724