Bangladesh to have younger border force

October 12th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh has said it is responding to threats from its eastern neighbour Myanmar, which has amassed troops on the border and readied warships and fighter jets "in preparation for a large-scale conflict". The Myanmar military brought in tanks, artillery guns and 13 warships along its border with Bangladesh Sunday, The Daily Star newspaper said Monday quoting sources at the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

October 11th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh has rushed more troops and stepped up diplomatic moves as tension continues to mount along its 300 km border with Myanmar over a fence being erected by Yangon. Dhaka alleges that Myanmarese border guards have grouped 10,000 Rohingyas, or Muslim tribals, to push across the border.

October 7th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh has cancelled leave of its border guards and stepped up army deployment on its border with Myanmar, alleging large-scale intrusion and to protest against the eastern neighbour erecting a border fence. Tension mounted along the Naikhyangchhari border in Bandarban after Myanmar resumed border fencing Friday.

July 15th, 2009 DHAKA - India has proposed coordinated patrolling of its border with Bangladesh to curb trespassers who cross over at night, leading to many of them being shot by the Border Security Force (BSF) - the bone of contention at talks between the top brass of the border guards of the two countries. The killing this year of 64 unarmed civilians, as Bangladesh puts it, has become a sensitive issue between the two neighbours, who Tuesday ended their bi-annual consultations between top officials of the BSF and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).

July 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - India has proposed to Bangladesh joint border patrolling along the international boundary, the Border Security Force (BSF) chief said here Tuesday. "We've given a draft proposal to our counterpart Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) for carrying out coordinated border patrolling activities along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

June 24th, 2009 AGARTALA - Bangladeshi police have detained six Indians, including two women, after they accidentally crossed the border along southern Tripura while grazing their cattle, an official said here Wednesday. A group of Bangladeshi civilians detained the six Indians late Tuesday when their cattle went across the border along Tripura's southern border town Sabroom, 135 km south of state capital Agartala.

June 8th, 2009 SHILLONG - The government is now giving equal priority to the eastern frontiers of the country as the western borders by strengthening the Border Security Force (BSF) and providing force-multiplier technology along the 4,095-km-long border with Bangladesh, a BSF official said here Monday. The ministry of home affairs has sanctioned Rs.80 billion to the BSF to raise additional battalions, to procure modern gadgets and other assets, mainly to be used in the vulnerable northeast, the official said.

May 19th, 2009 DHAKA - Over 2,500 border guard personnel have been arrested in connection with the Feb 26 mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said Tuesday. Khan, who was tasked with the inquiry into the incident, said: 'At least 1,398 members of the BDR have been arrested in Dhaka, while 1,581 more were held in 29 other districts.' Khan said 585 accused have confessed to their involvements in the mutiny.

April 1st, 2009 DHAKA - Bengalis in India look to Bangladesh to establish cultural and linguistic mores, according to folk musician Ajit Pandey. 'We Bengalis on the other side of the border look to you for many things, as you have set examples in establishing your language and nationality,' Pandey said at a musical soiree dedicated to Gana Sangeet, the folk music genre that is popular on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border.

March 29th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's new paramilitary border force chief is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi Monday on a three-day trip to India to discuss border issues between the two neighbouring countries, a foreign ministry official said here Sunday. Mainul Islam, who was appointed as Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) chief following the killing of Major General Shakil Ahmed during a mutiny last month, will meet India's Border Security Force (BSF) head M.L.

March 23rd, 2009 DHAKA - India may get a 'thank you' note from Bangladesh for ensuring normalcy on the border when troopers of the latter's border guards revolted last month, a media report said Monday. This could happen when the chiefs of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and India's Border Security Force (BSF) meet in New Delhi next Monday, New Age newspaper said quoting an unnamed senior BDR officer.

March 18th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh has deployed more troopers of its border guards after Myanmar moved men and material for erecting a barbed wire fence along a 200-km border between the two countries. The move indicates fresh tension after the stand-off in the Bay of Bengal between the two neighbours in November last year, New Age newspaper said Wednesday.

March 17th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh says its eastern neighbour Myanmar is 'unilaterally' erecting a barbed wire fencing along its border and has mobilised troops and naval force. Tension runs high along the Bangladesh-Myanmar 200 km long border, The Daily Star said Tuesday quoting unnamed defence sources.

March 6th, 2009 DHAKA - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Thursday announced that it has postponed Pakistan's cricket tour to the country scheduled to start later this week. 'The Bangladesh Cricket Board has postponed Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh 2009 as advised by the government authorities,' the BCB said in a brief statement.

February 25th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's border guards Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), whose troopers mutinied in Dhaka Wednesday, has a military history going back more than 200 years. Today a paramilitary force guarding the country's 4,427 km long border, the Bangladesh Rifles was raised in 1795 as the Ramgarh Local Battalion.