India, Bangladesh to tighten vigil along the border

Aizawl, Aug 27 (IANS) To further tighten vigil along the frontiers, the border guards of India and Bangladesh will conduct joint patrolling and set up more Border Out Posts (BOPs) along the unfenced borders in Mizoram, a BSF official said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the District Magistrates and Deputy Commisioners of Mizoram and Rangamati and Bandarban hill districts of south-east Bangladesh and senior officials of Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) last week in Aizawl.

The meeting was also attended by officials from the ministries of Home, External Affairs, Commerce and Industries, and Land Record of both the countries.

Mizoram has an unfenced international border of 404 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh. While the BSF guards the Bangladesh border, the border with Myanmar is secured by the Assam Rifles.

"More BOPs would be set up and the telecommunication networks would be improved in these BOPs and bordering areas to check all types of cross-border crimes, smuggling and trans-border movements of militants and unauthorised people," said a BSF official.

He said that border trades and setting up of "Border Haats" (markets) between India and Bangladesh were also discussed in the meeting.

Several terrorist outfits from northeast India had earlier set up their hideouts and training camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, comprising Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari districts of southeast Bangladesh.

The official said that both sides also discussed and formulated strategies to prevent trafficking of women and children, smuggling of narcotic substances and forest products to Bangladesh and illegal cross-border trade.

"In the day-long meeting, the officials also discussed establishment of deportation centre for illegal migrants and criminals and joint border survey of land along the border area," the official added.