‘Bangladesh will take action against northeast India militants’

AGARTALA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has assured firm action against militants from northeast India taking shelter in her country, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Sunday.

Sarkar was in Dhaka last month to attend Bangladesh’s Independence Day celebrations. He met Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and leaders of different political parties besides business leaders.

“Sheikh Hasina said the Bangladesh government would take firm action against the northeast terrorists if they take shelter in Bangladesh. She wanted a list of militant camps set up in her country,” Sarkar told IANS.

“However, she said some anti-Bangladesh elements have also taken refuge in Tripura. I categorically told her that we would take action against them if we get a list containing details,” he said here.

Sarkar said: “We had offered a joint India-Bangladesh inspection to find out such elements a few years ago. Bangladesh then remained silent.”

There are about 25 camps belonging to Tripura militants in Bangladesh, he said.

“After the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina came to power, we have noticed a change in the situation. The extremists have been cornered but not fully eliminated. Around 25 camps of Tripura militants still exist in Bangladesh and they are trying to increase their strength,” Sarkar said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) and other security officials said militants belonging to various rebel groups in the northeast region have set up about 90 camps in different parts of Bangladesh, specially Sylhet district and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) bordering India’s Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya.

According to the police, in 2009 alone about 370 tribal guerrillas of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), fled from Bangladesh camps and surrendered to the Indian security forces.

This year, over 30 militants of the two outfits left their Bangladesh camps and have laid down their arms and ammunition.

BSF inspector-general (Assam-Meghalaya frontier) Prithvi Raj Singh said over phone from Shillong that after the Bangladesh government launched an operation against the northeast militants last year, the terrorists were shifting base from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Quoting surrendered United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants, the BSF officials said the northeast Indian guerrillas are now on the run.

“It is quite natural that the extremists look for new pastures to continue their future actions,” Singh added.

He, however, hoped that Myanmar, being a friendly neighbour of India, would be able to take action against the northeast militants taking shelter in that country.