Bangladesh News and Discussion

[Prem]

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india ... 110906.htm
MMS Uvacha

This is my second visit to Bangladesh as Prime Minister after 2005. I am deeply impressed by the changes that have taken place since then. The Bangladesh economy is doing well and the socio-economic transformation of Bangladesh is proceeding rapidly ahead.Relations between India [ Images ] and Bangladesh enjoy our highest priority. There is a national consensus in India that India must develop the best possible relations with Bangladesh.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and I have had very wide-ranging and indepth discussions. These have built upon the momentum of the Prime Minister's historic visit to India in 2010.
We have agreed on a new architecture for our partnership. This will open new vistas of bilateral cooperation, strengthen regional cooperation within South Asia and set an example of good neighbourly relations.The Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and I have signed is a contemporary blueprint designed to encompass all forms and sectors of cooperation.We have signed a Protocol to the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974. With this, both our countries have now demarcated the entire land boundary as well as resolved the status of enclaves and adversely possessed areas.
As the Prime Minister has just announced, we have worked out 24-hour access to the enclaves of Dahagram-Angarpota through the Tin Bigha Corridor.Our common rivers need not be sources of discord, but can become the harbingers of prosperity to both our countries.We have decided to continue discussions to reach a mutually acceptable, fair and amicable arrangement for the sharing of the Teesta and Femi river waters.India is fully alive to the problem of trade imbalance between India and Bangladesh. I am pleased to announce that, with immediate effect, we will provide duty free access to the Indian market to 46 textile tariff lines as requested by Bangladesh.We have embarked on a series of measures to improve border infrastructure. These will facilitate Bangladesh's exports to India and provide it greater opening to India and other neighbouring countries. We are addressing issues relating to non-tariff barriers together with Bangladesh.India is committed to assisting Bangladesh in its development efforts. We will supply bulk power to Bangladesh by connecting our national grids. We will assist in the setting up of a 1320 megawatt joint venture power plant in Khulna.Projects worth over 750 million US dollars under the 1 billion US dollar Line of Credit announced last year have been identified for implementation.I conveyed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's deep appreciation for the cooperation rendered by Bangladesh in our joint fight against terrorism and insurgency. This has brought much needed stability to both of us, and to this region as a whole.India is a true and genuine partner of Bangladesh. We will do the utmost to build this relationship on a sustained basis, and I believe this also reflects the approach of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.The several agreements that have been signed and the Joint Statement that is being issued reflect the richness and diversity of our cooperation. We now have to ensure that the fruits of our cooperation lead to improvement in the lives of our people.I am overall extremely satisfied with my discussions today. I convey my very best wishes to the people of Bangladesh, and once again thank them for the warm welcome given to us.

[A_Gupta]

Full text of Indo-Bangla declaration:
http://www.thebangladeshtoday.com/natio ... ational-01

[SureshP]

India to secede land to buy peace

http://epaper.fpj.co.in/Details.aspx?id ... d=21916828

^^ And when Zia or some other tinpot comes to power and starts all the needling once again, can we take back this land for their "bad behavior" just like we ceded it for "good behavior" now?

Dhaka got one-third of land it claimed

Varghese K George and Jayanth Jacob, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 10, 2011

The fine print of the India-Bangladesh boundary settlement shows that Dhaka has got one-third of its claim on land in adversely possessed territories. The total area under adverse possession claimed by Bangladesh was 793 acres, while the protocol to the agreement, signed by Indian foreign minister SM Krishna and his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni on September 6 during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka, fixed it at 267.5 acre.

When it came to the marking of the un-demarcated boundary of 6.5 km in the 4,096-km-long border, India got 714 acre of land against Bangladesh’s 90 acre.

The protocol paved the way for the settlement of the long pending land boundary issues between the two countries. The protocol to the Indira-Mujib border pact of 1974 earlier settled the issue of 162 enclaves on each other’s side.
But since these are issues of claimed territories and un-demarcated boundary, there is no real gain or loss for either country, officials who dealt with the issue told HT.

“The claim on adversely possessed territory by Bangladesh came down after the joint survey.”
Sources familiar with the development said there have been some technical issues that came in the way of signing the protocol. For the Indian side, it was the external affairs ministry that was the nodal ministry for dealing with the boundary issues, while for Bangladesh, it was the home ministry.

Dhaka was looking at the two home ministers signing the pact. But at the end, the two foreign ministers signed it.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Dhaka-got ... 43804.aspx


The deaf and dumbers should sometimes learn to read instead of malising thier missiles on the net.

[vic]

It seems at the best that India may have conceded around 40sq km extra territory. To put it into prespective the Siachin dispute is of around 3000 sq km and Sir Creek area is around 9,000 sq km.

[sum]

The deaf and dumbers should sometimes learn to read instead of malising thier missiles on the net.

Sirji, why am i being equated to Pakis for a genuine question of mine?

[shyamd]

Interesting.
Mamata botched up water deal?

Jayanth Jacob
New Delhi, September 10, 2011
Email to Author

By blocking the Teesta water agreement with Bangladesh, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee may not have protected any interest of the state.

The disruption of the agreement means a World Bank (WB) loan of $1.3 billion to build irrigation system in the state won't come through, and the state has no capacity to absorb any more water.

"Currently, the state uses only 25% of Teesta water and the rest flows to Bangladesh and the sea. Without huge investments in canals, West Bengal can't make use of Teesta water," a senior official told Hindustan Times.

The Teesta river barrage project at Gozaldoba, construction for which began in 1976, is yet to be complete. Once completed, the project will serve an irrigated area of 9,22,000 hectares.

But so far it only caters to 58,000 hectares, another official said. Mamata wanted 75% of the flow at Gozaldoba, which Bangladesh had agreed upon, as per the 50-50 sharing formula in the draft agreement.

To measure the flow, there have not been any calculations on absolute figures, contrary to media reports.

Twenty-five percent water was to flow downstream to Gozalbada and another 25% would be added through regeneration by the time Teesta reaches Dalia barrage in Lalmonirhat district in Bangladesh. Mamata also wanted an explicit reference to this in the agreement, leading to the last-minute visit of NSA SS Menon to Dhaka. Sources said Bangladesh even agreed to this.

"The nitty-gritty of how we manage the final water flow are not reflected in the text of any international agreement. In this case, there was a last-minute tweaking to get it reflected in the agreement because of Banerjee's demand," he said. Still, Mamata chose not to go with the Prime Minister, halting the agreement altogether.

Nothing could outweigh Mamata's position carved in political considerations of North Bengal, besides her unhappiness with the Centre.

The 'contours' of the interim water-sharing pact for fifteen years, which was to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit, had been discussed thoroughly with Mamata, a senior government official said.

He added that if Bangladesh, the lower-riparian state, complained, then the WB loan won't come.

[shyamd]

India may start army supplies to Bangladesh

Shishir Gupta, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 06, 2011

One of the issues that may be taken up during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Bangladesh visit is closer defence ties between the two countries.

India is, for the first time, open to even supplying military hardware and spares to its eastern neighbour. Government sources said
apart from closer army-to-army contacts, India may supply spares and undertake repairs of armoured corps' equipment.

India has never supplied weapons to Bangladesh - as Dhaka has not made any queries recently - since its independence war of 1971. But Dhaka recently hinted that they needed spares and ammunition for their artillery guns and tanks.

The Bangladesh government largely purchases small weapons, mortar, air defence artillery, artillery guns, main battle tanks, F-7 fighters and frigates from China.

The other major suppliers are Russia (MiG-29 fighters), the United States (helicopters), the UK and even Pakistan.

Dhaka also wanted closer cooperation in training and increase in bilateral contacts.

During Indian army chief General VK Singh's five-day visit to Dhaka last June, the Bangladesh military leadership said the reciprocation from the Indian side to training courses in Dhaka was less than that of Bangladesh's in Indian defence colleges.

[kumarn]

Interesting.
Mamata botched up water deal?

Jayanth Jacob
New Delhi, September 10, 2011
Email to Author

The disruption of the agreement means a World Bank (WB) loan of $1.3 billion to build irrigation system in the state won't come through, and the state has no capacity to absorb any more water.

Well, no problem. We can get the dollars from somewhere else, but how are we going to get the waters once we sign it away? Good job didi!

[abhishek_sharma]

BANGLADESH-INDIA: GREAT EXPECTATIONS, LIMITED RESULTS

[arun]

X Posted from the Islamism thread.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... efits.html

Some Asian families in Britain are having too many children in order to claim extra welfare payments, Britain’s first female Asian peer claimed last night.

Baroness Flather accused the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities of failing to adopt the values of British society and said they should have their benefits slashed.

Grand-daughter of Sir Ganga Ram and member of the UK House of Lords Baroness Shreela Flather writes an article herself in the Daily Mail on the practise of Mohammadden immigrants from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Bangladesh to indulge in polygamy and breed large families in order to milk benefits from the UK’s welfare system:

Polygamy, welfare benefits and an insidious silence

[shyamd]

Teesta river issue: India won’t play by the neighbourhood’s rules - http://bit.ly/nprKZY #Bangladesh

Why Bangladesh should matter to us - http://bit.ly/nY2H1S by KANTI S BAJPAI

Two must read articles.

[Stan_Savljevic]

Totally ignoring the rights of the religious minorities, this new law stops all television channels in Bangladesh in broadcasting any "promotional" or "advertisement" on Christmas, Buddha Purnima [Buddhist Moonlight Night] and Puja [Hindu festival]. The law says "pre-approval should be taken from the Ministry of Information prior to broadcasting any publicity materials on Puja, Christmas, and Buddha Purnima etc."

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1786/banglad ... adcast-law

[RamaY]

India may start army supplies to Bangladesh

Very good move IMHO.

Supply the h/w such as LCAs, Arjuns and Aakash batteries. It shows Indian intention of no aggression while ensuring that BD cannot play spoiler at the wrong time.

Extend similar understanding to Myanmar as well and the greater Bharat remains united while keeping 10votes in UN. Also make sure that member of greater Bharat gets the non-permanent UNSC seat until Bharat gets the permanent seat.

[ankitash]

Mods please delete this if you find it inappropriate, but I found this while lurking Paki fora. This in all probability refers to our (non-active) Bangladeshi poster AKalam

Finally one of my briliant friends has proved that partion caused downfall of Muslims in sub-continent and wanted vehemently to anul BD from map by aligning with BR walas. After three years of untiring efforts that following is what he has to say..

After dealing with Indians in BRF (bharat rakshak forum) for more than a year, I realized the following:


- that the Hindu Indians consider us as traitors, because they think those of us who converted to Islam, we left hinduism/buddhism and joined the enemy
- those of us who have foreign blood are of course descendant of mass murderers
- we even took their land away from them
- they will not cooperate with us under any circumstances
- all Muslims on this planet are their sworn enemy and Jat-shatru
- they will work with anyone including Zionists to malign and harm Muslims in any way possible and if possible wipe out Islam from the face of the earth
- if not for the unfortunate fact that it is beyond their means, they would exterminate all Muslims from the face of the earth (without using nukes, as it will render the soil unusable, which they need)
- they are only polite and want to hide their murderous intentions when they say they don't hate Muslims, they only want to convert us back, but not exterminate us


Now that I no longer post there, since the start of the Arab spring, they think that I have pulled a fast one on them, while posing as a friend and working with them, they think that I know too much, I have learnt the secret desires of their heart
The reality as I see it is:


- in 1947 we divided the Muslim community of subcontinent in 3 separate parts and by 1971, they are forever separated in 3 different countries, thus making it weaker and fragmented
- India since 1947 has a dominant hindu majority of around 85%, so they never want to dilute their majority, that is why they are so allergic to Bangladeshi Muslim migration, but are willing to accept Hindu Bangladeshi migrants and even have some saarc type union with Nepal and Sri Lanka, but not Bangladesh, Pakistan or Maldives. They want our land, but not Islam or Muslims.
- Indians have lost dominion over Pakistan and Bangladesh, but we, both Pakistani's and Bangladeshi's, forever lost our ownership of all of Indian landmass and its use
- if we did not have partition in 1947 and there was no Pakistan, we Muslims would be 40% of India, we could hold the Hindu by their throat and they would not dare their raise their finger on us today


So rightly they see that in 1947 partition, they were the winners and we, Muslims of subcontinent, were the losers. Once they have gained this position of advantage, under no circumstances will they allow us Muslims to gain this position back. So all this talk of SAARC was pure psy ops trying to fool me and the people through me, while they can continue to use AL and Hasina to control Bangladesh.Their ultimate intention is to keep Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan or any Muslims in the world, weak, fragmented and dependent on them or their friendly powers, while they continue to malign Muslims together with Zionists, saying that we are violent extremists and we want to take over the world.


My intention for the whole effort with them was a sincere attempt to find out, whether they are willing to work with us in a SAARC union, whether they can change their mind about Muslims, which fortunately gave me the opportunity to understand them well. The Arab Spring also came up while I reached and completed my understanding about them, and this Arab spring gave me hope as I was totally hopeless before about Muslims, which was the reason why I approached them in the first place.


After I understood all of the above and that it is not possible to gain anything from India, I started looking elsewhere. First my thought was that we need to organize ourselves and also look for alliances. To organize ourselves, I have started an effort:

All all talk of being of the indic race was taqiyya.

EDIT: here is an indirect link http://goo.gl/uDnPs

[Varoon Shekhar]

^^^
Awful, but a glimpse into a subcontinental Moslem mindset. Actually, subcontinental Moslems are often at the forefront of apologia for Islam, and exhibitions about it i.e Islam's contributions. Not Egyptian, Saudi, Algerian, Tunisian et al. Any reason for this? Could it be the aggressiveness and zealotry of the relatively recent convert, plus the fact that Islam in the subcontinent, unlike those other places, exists as a "minority", when taken as a whole? So the compulsion to defend, promote, solicit etc on behalf of the religion is considerably more?

[member_19686]

And some people here fell for all his BS!

Indic "race" my ass, there are still some of us who remember history including the overwhelming Indian Muslim for the Muslim League and Partition, the genocide of Hindus & Sikhs carried out by these same people of Indic "race" whether it be in Lahore, Noakhali, Kolkata, Sheikhpura etc.

[Rudradev]

This in all probability refers to our (non-active) Bangladeshi poster AKalam

Why rush to judgment? There have been quite a few Bangladeshi posters on BRF. Some were seemingly friendly, some were quite knowledgeable, some were ill-concealed anti-India drones. This could be any of them, and there is no basis for concluding the guy being referred to in this post is AKalam.

[Agnimitra]

^^^Rudra ji, thanks for pointing that out. I am amazed at the complete lack of tact, discrimination and subtlety in engaging and holding BD's and Pakis in an idea-space that is most suitable to India's interests!

[ankitash]

This in all probability refers to our (non-active) Bangladeshi poster AKalam

Why rush to judgment? There have been quite a few Bangladeshi posters on BRF. Some were seemingly friendly, some were quite knowledgeable, some were ill-concealed anti-India drones. This could be any of them, and there is no basis for concluding the guy being referred to in this post is AKalam.

Well that was my assertion...

Most of the stuff sounds quite close

Now that I no longer post there, since the start of the Arab spring, they think that I have pulled a fast one on them, while posing as a friend and working with them, they think that I know too much, I have learnt the secret desires of their heart

wanted vehemently to anul BD from map by aligning with BR walas. After three years of untiring efforts that following is what he has to say..

I have provided the link too, so seniors can check it out and deduce for themselves

[ArmenT]

From the BBC:
Bangladesh war crimes: First charges filed

A senior leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party is the first suspect charged by a tribunal probing the 1971 independence struggle against Pakistan.

The war crimes tribunal accused Delawar Hossain Sayedee of mass murder and torture among other crimes. He denies all the allegations.

Mr Sayedee, a leader in Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party, was arrested last year.

The tribunal was set up in 2010 to try those accused of crimes during the war.

Looks like the chickens are coming home to roost for some.

[Pranay]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/world ... ?ref=world

Trying to resolve the enclave issue ...

Now, after decades of indecision, the problem may soon be resolved. When India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, traveled to Bangladesh in September to meet his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, they signed an agreement that would finally allow the enclaves to dissolve into the country already surrounding them.

Under the agreement, the 37,334 nominal Indians living inside Bangladesh will become Bangladeshis, if they wish, and the 14,215 Bangladeshis on the Indian side of the border will become Indians. Anyone who wants to move across the border will be permitted to do so, but officials on each side say any major movement is unlikely.

People living in the enclaves are cautiously hopeful that their citizenship will finally be settled, but this is hardly the first attempt so solve a bedeviling problem.

Local legend holds that the patchwork of villages in the enclaves is the legacy of chess matches between the maharaja of Cooch Behar and the faujdar of Rangpur, who traded the pieces of land like poker chips.

But the truth is more prosaic — the enclaves resulted from 18th-century peace treaties between the conquering Mughal emperors and the maharaja of Cooch Behar, according to a 520-page historical study of the enclaves completed by Brendan R. Whyte at the University of Melbourne in 2002.

When British India was split in two, the region known as Rangpur went to Pakistan. The princely state of Cooch Behar, which like other princely states had not been part of British India, joined independent India in 1949 and was absorbed into the Indian state of West Bengal.

But the villages, known as chhitmahals, remained marooned. The first failed attempt to resolve the issue came in 1954, when Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan. In 1974, Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheik Mujibur Rahman, agreed to sort out the border problem, but Mr. Rahman was assassinated before the agreement could be carried out, and the pro-Pakistan government in Bangladesh never followed through. A third attempt in 1992, between India’s prime minister P. V. Narasimha Rao and Khaleda Zia, then the leader of Bangladesh, also went nowhere.

[Supratik]

I have done an analysis of illegal immigration from Bangladesh into West Bengal based on census data from 1951 upto 2001.

All numbers are approximate.

The population of WB was about 25 million in 1951 with about 20 million Hindu (~78-79%) and 5 million Muslim (~20%).
The population in 2001 is about 80 million with 58 million Hindus and 20 million Muslims.
From language census the population of Hindi speakers in WB is 5.7 million and Urdu speakers is 1.5 million. The population of
Gurkhas is about 1 million and Santhals about 3 million. So adjusting for these populations the Bengali Hindu population is
about 49 million and Bengali Muslim population is about 18.5 million in 2001. Thus, overall the Bengali Hindu population has
increased by about 2.5 fold and the Bengali Muslim population by about 4 fold.

The population of Bangladesh in 1951 was about 41 million with about 9 million Hindus. The population in 2001 was 130 million
a rough increase of 3 fold. The overall increase in Bengali Hindu population in WB is about 2.5 fold. Assuming the same growth
for the Bengali Hindu population in Bangladesh the population in 2001 should have been about 25 million but the actual number
is about 11 million. So there are about 15 million missing Bangladeshi Hindus. Assuming that about 50% migrated to WB there
would be about 7 million Bangladeshi Hindus in WB.

If we assume the same population growth for Bengali Muslims in WB and Bangladesh the Bengali Muslim population should have
been about 15 million but it is actually 18.5 million. So there are about 3 million Bangladeshi Muslims in WB in 2001.

If about 7 million Bangladeshi Hindus migrated to WB, the actual population growth of native W Bengali Hindus is 42 million i.e.
roughly 2 fold over 1951.

So the Bengali bhadraloks have done population control with a vengeance and without immigration of Bangladeshi Hindus
and non-Bengali Hindus the demographic balance would have been even more against the bhadralok. The bhadralok will become less than 50% in the near future.

The current demographic trend from census 2011 suggests that the Hindu population growth is around 11% and the Muslim growth
around 20% i.e. almost double. Future demographic balance will depend on 1) rate of population decline in Bangladesh and by extension illegal immigration, 2) rate of migration primarily from Hindi speaking states, 3) comparitive fertility changes between the
Hindu and Muslim population.

So from my analysis the illegal Bangladeshi Hindu population is about 7 million and the illegal Bangladeshi Muslim population is about
3 million taking the total illegal Bangladeshi population in WB to about 10 million in 2001.

[Stan_Savljevic]

Supratik, BD Hindu immigration also happens to be in Assam and Tripura. Assam numbers seem to have had a jump in 61-75 period. Some Bengali Hindu population is seen all the way to Arunachal. The point being you have to see immigration as not a one-route option.

[himadri]

^^^ You have to adjust for the 71 stay backs, lets not call them illegal immigrants since most of them have been absorbed into the society very well, and pursue Indian identity.

[Supratik]

Himadri,

I used the term "illegal" in the context of citizenship when they migrated.

Stan,

I haven't been able to do Assam primarily because a lot of Bengali/Bangladeshi Muslims give their mother tongue
as Assamese and there is lack of info on the other tribal groups. But we know for sure that Tripura has about 1-1.5 million
Bangladeshi Hindu migrants (as the population ratio of Bengali to tribal has reversed to 65:35). I have read reports of Assam
having 20% Bengali Hindu population which would mean 6 million. Even if it is 4-5 million and assuming the same ratio of
migrants to local as WB it could be 1-1.5 million, may be more. Jharkhand has about 3 million Bengalis primarily Hindu and may have significant migrants. A&N, Orissa and the rest of the country may have another 1 million. So these will make up around 7 million people in addition to the about 7 million in WB. These are all rough calculations.

[brihaspati]

The Hindu stay-backs should be referred to as "refugees" and not illegal immigrants. For Muslim stay-backs - they are illegal immigrants, because with end of war and independence and subsequent declaration of "Islamic" state in Constitution - they would have no reasons to fear persecution and should have gone back.

At every international and national excuse available to the majority community of BD, Hindus and Buddhists are targeted - their property, their women, their temples, their lives. There are well documented studies by some BD researchers which show how the land-grab has been indulged in by the Muslims irrespective of political affiliation - and the resulting effect of enforced migration of Hindus.

Even in the latest local body election in Narayangunj - a temple was destroyed apparently in retaliation for the AL "official" candidate being ceremonially welcomed by a Hindu locality.

Its like the proverbial joke about Scots and Scotch Whiskey. There is rain today - lets go for a drink. Its dry today - lets go for a drink. It rained earlier and now it is dry - lets go for a drink. It was dry earlier and now it rains - lets go for a drink. I am too drunk to even see clearly whether it is dry or raining - lets go for a drink to celebrate that.

So for BD islamism - which is not any different from islamism anywhere in the world facing opportunities in land-women-wealth-grab without much retaliation - the Hindus have done something, taken a p*** for example, lets go break their temple or abduct a girl. The Hindus have not done anything, not taken a p*** today - lets go break their temple or abduct a girl. In country XXXXX where Hindus are present, there has been an alleged whisper against the pure theology and its prophet, lets go and break a Hindu temple or abduct a girl.

[brihaspati]

For Assam, Hindu migration is not only from BD, but also from Bihar. Moreover substantial migration also takes place from BD Muslims. So we may need a break up of Bengali speaking Hindu and Muslim with clearly identifiable origins. For Assam region it is complicated by the fact that Bengali speaking Hindus were settled in Assam valley a long time before Partition, and there have been legitimate migrations internally from WB through kinship or professional reasons. The great Fakhruddin seems to have been instrumental knowingly or unknowingly - in starting the raucus which targeted all Bengali speakers equally.

[Stan_Savljevic]

I haven't been able to do Assam primarily because a lot of Bengali/Bangladeshi Muslims give their mother tongue as Assamese and there is lack of info on the other tribal groups.

That is the precise problem that most people doing groundwork also complain against. Even the "Assamese" or ULFA-lites complain that not just Hindu Bengalis, but also Muslim Bengalis from BD illegally immigrating use Assamese as their mother tongue in the census forms. The whine profile is rather elaborate. I assume you have seen this doc: http://www.india-seminar.com/2002/510/5 ... udhuri.htm

But we know for sure that Tripura has about 1-1.5 million Bangladeshi Hindu migrants (as the population ratio of Bengali to tribal has reversed to 65:35).

Tripura has seen such a demographic shift that people dont recognize what has all happened. My hunch is that quite a segment that came in from BD/East Pakistan in the followup to the Enemy Vested Properties Act (or whatever that is officially called) that Pakistan came with. I dont disagree that there has been massive extermination of Hindus from Bangladesh. That is clear, I just have a huge uncertainty when precise numbers are made. I know this is a slippery slope given the various possibilities. I think quite a few of the missing Hindu Bangladeshis can be accounted for, and a good fraction was lost out to forcible conversion or death. What is the precise fraction, I dont know.

A&N, Orissa and the rest of the country may have another 1 million.

I can most definitely tell you that A&N has not seen much migration from Bangladesh in the post-47 era. And much of the immigration in the pre-47 era was one of economic migration rather than religious persecution driven immigration. There is a huge contingent of Tamil and Telugu speakers in A&N also. My opinion is based on Kiran Dhingra's book: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Twentieth Century: A Gazetteer http://www.amazon.com/Andaman-Nicobar-I ... 0195670531 from which you can learn about the language census of the different islands from 1901 to 1991 or so. And no td&h can immigrate there today without getting hellphyred by some form of naval authorities. SwamyG spent some time in A&N, he may be able to tell you the reality.

For Assam, Hindu migration is not only from BD, but also from Bihar. Moreover substantial migration also takes place from BD Muslims. So we may need a break up of Bengali speaking Hindu and Muslim with clearly identifiable origins.

Economic migration happens today too. In fact, far south in TN, during the last visit I could see migrants from Bihar, UP and WB. In Assam, hardly any local people want to work on the tea plantations. This is hard hard labor. Much of the workforce comes from Bihar and WB where the economic situation is even worse than in Assam. BDesh also supplies a huge amount of labor. WB is still the biggest rice basket of India, and paddy cultivation is hard labor. Someone has to do the job. We get into a murky world of trying to differentiate between economics and religious persecution and a combination of both. Its like trying to make inferences with multiple possibilities with little open-source evidence. A good search of the census forms can provide some help, some detailed district-level census of Assam and WB from 51 to date is available on the web. Also, you have to wait for the detailed 2011 census, its not up yet. As of now, we just have summary minus religious data.

[Supratik]

Well A&N has a decent Bengali population (language census data 2001) and I believe some refugees were settled
in A&N. Have to check back on that.

The demographic change happening in BDl and change not happening in Bihar will have important consequences
for migration in the region. Initial reports suggest that things may improve for Bd Hindus in terms of demography and
Bd may have labor shortage in 20 years time. Have to wait for the full BD and Indian census datas. Bihar is in the doldrums
with 100 million population and 25+% population growth. Where is this excess population going to migrate? Given WB is a
neighbour how will if affect migration into WB? These issues remain to be seen.

[Rahul M]

>> I believe some refugees were settled in A&N. Have to check back on that.

post '47 I think, not the later phase.

[Stan_Savljevic]

Also, look at the Sachar Committee report, it has some info on Muslim demographics in the border districts of WB and Assam.

[Supratik]

Stan,

More than religious conversion, 1971 may have led to the death of an undetermined number. There were incidences of
forced conversions in the Pakistan period but in Bd it is limited to abduction of women for purposes of marriage after conversion.
What is more important in terms of demographics is the 1971 period. Unfortunately, no systematic study has been done by
researchers as to how many really died in the carnage.

RM,

You may be right about A&N.

[Supratik]

Stan,

Both from census data and Sachar report central WB and lower Assam will remain Muslim majority at least in the near future.

[SwamyG]

I lived in A&N for almost a year. In the 80s, we had connections to the mainland only via three ports - Madras, Vizag and Calcutta. And the number of people from these regions/states were high. But being a military adda, you had postings left-right-center; and one would find people from all areas of India there. Port Blair was a cosmopolitan city. The natives were all pushed out to smaller islands or "Indianized"

When one talked to folks, then, they would tell me there were lots of Bengali, Tamilian and Telugu people. I never heard anyone talking about BDs migrating. This was in the 80s.

And we all spoke in Hindi to each other. It was like any other Indian city, except that it was beautiful, virgin islands and beauty. Oh man.

[Samudragupta]

>> I believe some refugees were settled in A&N. Have to check back on that.

post '47 I think, not the later phase.

In as much the fromer CM of WB BC Ray proposed the settling of the Bengali Refugees in the Islands specially in AN....but Jyoti Babu and his Hooligans burned trams in the steets of Calcutta for three days to stop this....certainly this generation of the Bengali Refugees were instrumental in bringing the Communists in power in 1977....

[Rahul M]

and they were promptly rewarded with the massacre at marichjhapi. anyway, OT for this thread.

[member_20036]

Hi new to forum.
Is there any report to send illegal bangladeshis back to there country. I am afraid with there alarming growth and most political parties licking there feet for votes.
It is alarming native bengali population reducing

[Samudragupta]

Hi new to forum.
Is there any report to send illegal bangladeshis back to there country. I am afraid with there alarming growth and most political parties licking there feet for votes.
It is alarming native bengali population reducing

In a single line answer Bangladeshi's are not going back...and unfortunately shivering will not help us.....

[RajeshA]

In a single line answer Bangladeshi's are not going back...and unfortunately shivering will not help us.....

They need not go back, but the world is a big place! How about exporting them to Hong Kong or Macau. They can make better bucks there!

[member_20036]

Hi new to forum.
Is there any report to send illegal bangladeshis back to there country. I am afraid with there alarming growth and most political parties licking there feet for votes.
It is alarming native bengali population reducing

In a single line answer Bangladeshi's are not going back...and unfortunately shivering will not help us.....

cant we send back those who are identifiable.
What is there current rate of influx