Bangladesh News and Discussion

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sum
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by sum »

Yes, that is why i said that pak will throw the ball into BD court which is anyways not friendly with Pak.

Once BD is accused, the govt will be unfairly tarnished(since it cant even deny that BD is swarming with terrorists) though it is not the fault of the AL that such snakes were allowed to breed in the first place.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RajeshA »

Even though the coals should remain under Pakistan's feet, it would not be a bad idea if Bangladesh is recognized as also harboring terrorists. It gives Bangladesh a cover to pursue all those terrorists and extremists nurtured by Khaleda Zia and her regime. That is perhaps the reason, Bangladesh is showing willingness to accept responsibility and why Bangladeshi minister for foreign affairs Hassan Mahmud mentioned what he did.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Gerard »

Held militant 'sets off grenade'
Witnesses say the explosion happened at a press conference at the police chief's office in Gazipur, near Dhaka.
Reports say journalists asked the militants to pose at a table displaying the weapons - at which point one of them leaned forward and connected two wires on a grenade, causing it to explode.
:eek:
Avinash R
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Avinash R »

NDTV reporting mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles.
Fighting going on between them and bangladesh army soldiers.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ajay_ijn »

something serious happeneing in Dhaka.
Gun battle in Bangladesh capital
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7909323.stm
A gun battle has broken out inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh border guards in the capital, Dhaka, police and TV reports say. There are no reports of any casualties yet in the gunfight at the Bangladesh Rifle headquarters, officials say.

"There has been a huge exchange of gunfire at the headquarters. We have heard mortar fire," local police chief Nabojit Khisa told the AFP news agency. Mr Khisa said police were not being allowed to enter the complex.

The Bangladesh Rifles headquarters is located in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka. The BBC's Mark Dummett, in Dhaka, says that according to reporters at the scene, the clashes are between officers and soldiers of the paramilitary force, which protects the country's borders.

One report said that the gun battle coincided with a meeting of senior Bangladesh Rifles officers. Our correspondent says that some local TV channels are speculating that it is a mutiny by soldiers over a pay dispute. Reports say that smoke is coming out of the complex and security forces have cordoned off the area. There is no information yet on casualties, but reporters say some civilians walking past the camp have been hit.

There are unconfirmed reports that soldiers have also opened fire on a helicopter patrolling above the camp, where the fighting is taking place, our correspondent says.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Avinash R »

Bangladesh Rifles Director General has been reportedly shot dead.

More than 50 people also feared dead.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RayC »

and 14 officers killed.

Pay and perks is the issue, as is everywhere.

No mutiny against govt!

So states the reports.
Raju

Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Raju »

Is this about pay or is it about not being able to smuggle cattle anymore ?
ajay_ijn
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ajay_ijn »

RayC wrote:and 14 officers killed.

Pay and perks is the issue, as is everywhere.

No mutiny against govt!

So states the reports.
how could they kill their own officers and seniors for pay.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by sum »

Could be something deeper....
Avinash R
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Avinash R »

Reports: Border guards launch mutiny in Dhaka
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Mutinous Bangladesh border guards opened fire at their headquarters in the capital Wednesday and seized a nearby shopping mall, injuring several people in an insurrection apparently sparked by pay disputes, television reports said.

Gunshots and mortar shells boomed at the well-guarded complex of the Bangladesh Rifles, surrounded by busy shopping malls, colleges and residential buildings, private TV stations Bangla Vision and ETV said.
An ETV correspondent reporting live from the scene said guards came out of their barracks and seized a conference hall where officers were meeting. The report said troops of the Bangladesh Rifles, the official name of the country's border guards, chanted slogans for more pay and better facilities.
The fighting occurred a day after newly elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the headquarters and addressed the troops, urging them to become "more disciplined and remain ever ready to guard the country's frontiers."
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by derkonig »

Chances of a coup? Given the creeping islamization of BD, isn't it likely that the islamist elements in the paramilitary might try to overthrow the Hasina govt.?
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RayC »

ajay_ijn wrote:
RayC wrote:and 14 officers killed.

Pay and perks is the issue, as is everywhere.

No mutiny against govt!

So states the reports.
how could they kill their own officers and seniors for pay.
That is what worries me!

Pay is a big deal.

Everyone is not the Indian Army.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ASPuar »

Precisely. Everyone is not the Indian Army, that despite the harsh conditions, and now the scorn and false innuendos being heaped upon it by the bureaucrats, and on top of it all, the complete degradation by the 6th Central Pay Commission review by a so called "Committee of Secretaries" (because of whose reccomendations, equivalencies have been downgraded by one rank across the board, so now, where a Colonel was earlier higher in pay grade than a DIG of police, he has now been reduced to the level of a DCP, with 9 years of service against his 22-23 years), nothing has happened, and the army has protested quietly and in a dignified manner.

This is because our army is the Indian army, and takes pride in its place in our democratic society. And because it is a real, disciplined, strong army, and not an untrained rabble.

We should think about how we treat our armed forces.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by nsa_tanay »

ASPuar wrote: This is because our army is the Indian army, and takes pride in its place in our democratic society. And because it is a real, disciplined, strong army, and not an untrained rabble.

Kudos to them
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by kidoman »

ASPuar wrote:Precisely. Everyone is not the Indian Army
Really makes me proud of my army..civilized and professional to the core.
Jai Jawan.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Nihat »

Unless they are fed on grass and eat raw fish for a living , pay out's are not such a big issue to cause a mutiny of this size or methods.

The hidden truth will come out in installments.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Nayak »

ajay_ijn wrote: how could they kill their own officers and seniors for pay.
Seems that there was lot of disgruntlement as senior posts in BDR was staffed by Army officers. Their pay structure was different. Lot of resentment brewing I guess, a stern test for Sheikh Haseena. Hopefully our babooze will get their heads out of their collective a$$es and sends a strong but hidden message both to Hasina and the BD army that Indian support is always there.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

WE know how to treat our armed forces,but does the GOI know it? The manner in which retired officers of the armed forces have been returning their medals in protest to the President is one of the most shameful episodes in independent India's history.The PM or DM should resign for treating the armed forces and the veterans in such a disgraceful manner.

The politicisation of the army in B'desh to take sides supporting anti-Indian and pro-Pak parties is why such chaos prevails right now.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/fe ... y-soldiers

Troops' revolt rocks Bangladesh capital
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

Folks dont bring in IA in all threads. there are dedicated threads for it. here its a mutiny in the BDR and is disturbing as it might be something more sinister. How come these folks didn't resort to force earlier but now feel they can?

BD govt granted amnesty for the surrendered paramils.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009 ... 15108.html

The army vs Hasina battle will be on in full swing, claims Al Jazeera

Analysts had warned prior to the elections that any unrest could distract the poll winners from implementing much-needed economic reforms and discourage prospective investment. They also voiced concern about the military's role once an elected government took charge. The assumption at that time was that the army would remain behind the scenes for a while to see if the new government could tackle endemic corruption and avoid violence.

Now that violence on such a dramatic scale has erupted in the centre of Dhaka, the generals may feel compelled to attempt a more overt role. However, conflicts elsewhere in the world are likely to persuade the Bangladeshi army to leave governance at home to the politician.

The more interesting aspect is hidden in the article

Those UN missions, in which Bangladesh often has the largest contingent, generate compensatory payments to the country as well as paying the participating soldiers and officers salaries far above what they earn at home. This very disparity could be a factor behind the current mutiny. The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), whose primary duty is border security, by the very nature of its job does not often get to share the UN bounty.
The Daily star reports
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/n ... ?nid=77491

Bodies of the two colonels -- Col Mujib and Col Enayet -- were recovered from a sewage system outside the BDR headquarters. But their deaths were not officially declared till the filing of this report. Sources said the number of death of officers could be as high as 20. Witnesses said they saw scores of bodies lying on the ground in and around Pilkhana. They said some jawans were seen stabbing the bodies with bayonets.

The army surely will kick BDR very soon, its a question of when.
In the following excerpt, replace BDR with Sheikh Hasina's party

Hundreds of soldiers wearing red bandana or helmets and partly covering their faces, were seen staging armed processions in front of the gates since 10.30am. They chanted slogans saying, "We have been deprived for a long time, we have deep grievances."

The more one digs in, it looks like Hasina (using BDR) against the army. The quick amnesty also corroborates this viewpoint.

The fighting occurred a day after Hasina visited the headquarters and addressed the guards, urging them to become "more disciplined and remain ever ready to guard the country's frontiers."

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles ... ig2600.txt
Last edited by Stan_Savljevic on 26 Feb 2009 00:01, edited 1 time in total.
RayC
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RayC »

I believe there is a treaty that on the Indo Bangladesh border, only the paramilitary will be deployed and not the regulars by either side.

I believe BD has given orders that the BD Army replaces the Bangladesh Rifles from the border!
ramana
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

RayC There is some background to all this:

X-posted...

AdityaM wrote:BDR has a very old history:

Gunbattle in the heart of Dhaka, Army called in
originally raised by the British in 1795
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who took power in January, had Tuesday visited the BDR headquarters to address the troopers.

The prime minister also categorically stated that none would be allowed to use the territory of Bangladesh for terrorist activities.

"I hope BDR officers will be more vigilant in resisting smuggling to save our economy. You know that smuggling is very much harmful for a country's economy," she said in her maiden address to the BDR
She gos to the BDR HQ and next day this happens!
Well S*** happens!
So to me it looks like the BDR upar ki aamdani from smuggling etc was being curtailed. If this is correct then, border patrolling by BDR has to be done away with as thats the source of the angst. Most likely BDR is also a holding tank for Islamised elements.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

ramana wrote: So to me it looks like the BDR upar ki aamdani from smuggling etc was being curtailed. If this is correct then, border patrolling by BDR has to be done away with as thats the source of the angst. Most likely BDR is also a holding tank for Islamised elements.
This is what Hasina said yesterday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday told the commanders of the border force that any unfair step against Bangladesh will have to be resisted with bravery and boldness. Addressing the Sector Commanders of Bangladesh Rifles at the BDR headquarters at Peelkhana, she told the sector commanders of the paramilitary force that as the boarder-security force their responsibility would be to discharge their duties within the adopted policy and keep country's interests aloft. "We have some border-related problems with our neighboring countries. Policy has been adopted in the top level to solve these problems. We believe in good relations with the neighboring countries. But, any unfair step on us will have to be resisted with bravery and boldness," she said.

At the same time, the Prime Minister categorically said none will be allowed to use the territory of Bangladesh for terrorist activities. Earlier, she addressed the BDR parade held on the occasion of the BDR Week 2009. On her arrival at the ground, Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun and Director General of BDR Shakil Ahmed received the Prime Minister. The PM urged the BDR officials to be more active to stop smuggling of fertilizer, salt, insecticides, arms and drugs to save the economy and maintain law and order.

She noted that the border guards' strict measures stopping inward smuggling of harmful insecticides and outgoing smuggling of fertilizer helped agricultural production in the country. "I hope BDR officers will be more vigilant in resisting smuggling to save our economy. You know that smuggling is very much harmful for a country's economy," said the head of the newly elected government in her maiden policy address to the frontier-security force. Hasina observed that use of illegal arms and availability of drugs made country's overall situation unstable.

She also asked the BDR officers to take strict measures to stop women and children trafficking through border areas. The premier expressed satisfaction when the BDR authorities informed her that BDR jawans have recently recovered a total of 846 arms in their drive against gunrunners. Sheikh Hasina, boarding a decorated open jeep, inspected smartly turned-out contingent of the BDR during the ceremonial parade and took salute.

BDR's 14 members were awarded Bangladesh Rifles Padak and President Rifles Padak for their gallantry in performance in the force. They took medals from the Prime Minister. The award-recipients are Col. Anis-Uz-Zaman, NDC, Ltn. Col. Syed Kamruzzaman, Captain (retd) Murad Salah Uddin Ahmed, Sepoy M Imamul Hossain (BDR Padak), Lt Col. Badrul Huda, Lt Col. M Abdul Mukim Sarker, PSC, Maj. M Maksudul Haque, Maj. Akramuzzaman, Subedar Mohammad Ali Sarker, Nayek Subedar M Azir Uddin, Habilder Yunus Ali, Nayek Ishaq Ali, and Nayek Jahangir Alam (President Rifles Padak).

In her speech at the parade the Prime Minister said the government would continue to take various steps for expanding and modernizing the BDR. "Modern technology, training and equipment are necessary for a disciplined and strong force. Hence, our government has taken step to enhance the BDR's strategic capacity-and it will also be continued in the future," she said. Praising the BDR personnel for their operation to save country's independence and sovereignty, maintaining internal law and order and stopping smuggling, the PM said the soldiers' physical capacity would have to be maintained and the professional knowledge increased.

"Keep it in your mind that it is tough training which can get a soldier to his cherished goal through attaining professional skill," she said in her word of advice. Hasina said though BDR's main duty is to safeguard border and curb smuggling, today its duties have extended to many other areas. The border force is playing very important role in expediting overall socioeconomic development, including fulfilling people's fundamental and human demands, she noted. The force is working shoulder to shoulder in facing emergencies and natural calamity. Prime Minister recalled the great contribution and sacrifice of the BDR at the 1971 liberation war.

She paid respects to 819 BDR members, including two Bir Shreshthas- Lance Nayek Nur Mohammad Sheikh and Lance Nayek Munsi Abdur Rauf - for sacrificing their lives in the liberation war for attaining the national independence. Hasina hoped that the BDR, which boasts a glorious history of above 200 years, would continue to work for people's welfare.

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/0 ... ws0225.htm
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

http://silverscorpio.com/india-concerne ... sh-border/

The latest in a series of BSF accusations against BDR aiding the smugglers.

Security forces in Assam are concerned over the increase in cattle smuggling along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Time and again, India and Bangladesh have accused the locals living along the border on either side of indulging in smuggling and trespassing the porous border.

The Border Security Force (BSF) guarding the 4,000-kilometer border with Bangladesh said that cattle smuggling has turned out to be a major problem that needs to be tackled at the earliest. “The BSF would seek the help of the government to sort of the menace,” said M L Kumawat, Director General, BSF.
The BDR will have a major role in smuggling as long as the profits from smuggling is high or the cost of getting caught is low. Multiple factors has probably heightened the fear in BDR of the loss of their modus operandi. After Pranabda's visit, Sh. Hasina's government was forced to act against BDR in some tangible sense. That plus the fencing going on at a heightened pace and BD joining the Asian highway project at last. The BDR in return for the loss in cash-flow wanted BDA to give up some of the UN spots. The BDA said get lost. And old grievances + this new development -> mutiny?! That looks plausible.

The consequences will be pitting of BDA against BDR more openly. Sh. Hasina has a tightrope walk ahead to balance both sides. And she has already been trying to thin the imminence of a coup from BDA going after the BDA caretaker government's omissions and commissions (which includes money laundering). At some point the BDA might find enough reasons to align again with BNP and throw out AL. While that will be a self-goal in the near aftermath of the elections, something like 1 year down the line may not be too far off. India may be forced to concede something to keep some of the oiseaules happy. There is a boundary demarcation process (sea and land) going on, transit to NE talks going on, Tipaimukh talks going on etc.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ASPuar »

Nihat wrote:Unless they are fed on grass and eat raw fish for a living , pay out's are not such a big issue to cause a mutiny of this size or methods.

The hidden truth will come out in installments.
Please read PM Mason's "A question of honour". One of the most comprehensive works on pre independence Indian levies and military forces, and the origins ofall subcontinental armed forces.

You will find that pay and status were the reasons for almost every mutiny which ever occurred in India. Often enough people dont understand that equivalence and respect mean much more to a soldier than the actual quanta of his salary. Izzat is paramount, and it is when the soldiers izzat is hurt, that such incidents happen.

Whatever the immediate provocation for violence to break out, the impending mood is generated always, always, by a festering resentment caused by an affront to the troops izzat. And pay being the determinant of seniority in the subcontinental system, that is likely what caused the discontent in BD.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ASPuar »

Some very fishy photos from BDR website. Any bong speakers, please illuminate us as to what the text says? BD's border security agency getting too chummy with Pak is not what is in the best Indian interests.

http://www.bdr.gov.bd/gallery/sakil2pak.JPG
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

^^^ A dated report may be of help here
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 593680.cms
ramana
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by ramana »

Editorial in Pioneer 26 Feb., 2009
Mutiny in Dhaka

The Pioneer Edit Desk

Hasina faces her first challenge

There never was any doubt that Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s Awami League Government would not have an easy time dealing with the myriad social, political and economic problems of Bangladesh which were allowed to pile up by the hugely corrupt BNP-Jamaat regime of Begum Khaleda Zia. The Army-backed caretaker Government did try to clean the Augean stables but obviously it did not have sufficient time to set the country back on the tracks — preparing for the general election which was held late last year itself was a gargantuan task in order to ensure a free and fair poll. In less than two months of sweeping that election and returning to power, on Wednesday Sheikh Hasina had a taste of the problems that need to be tackled on a war-footing if Bangladesh has to survive as a functioning democracy and not descend into chaos as Pakistan has. The mutiny by personnel of the Bangladesh Rifles, the paramilitary force popularly referred to as BDR, has been in the making for some time now. Poorly paid with few service benefits, the BDR personnel have to suffer humiliation and worse at the hands of Army officers who are deputed to the organisation. Given their background and the deadend jobs in which these men find themselves trapped, the BDR, not surprisingly, has become a catchment area for the Jamaat-e-Islami and assorted Islamist groups who exploit their sense of anguish and neglect to further their own devious agenda. Nor is it amazing that BDR personnel deployed along Bangladesh’s border with India indulge in every possible corrupt and criminal practice — from facilitating illegal migration and cattle-smuggling to trafficking in women and children and illicit drugs, they are willing to do anything and everything for a price. Islamists use their bogus ideology to convince these men that their corrupt and criminal acts are justified as they are directed at ‘Hindu India’; bribes are legitimised by the Bangladeshi Government’s reluctance to pay them proper wages. Sheikh Hasina Wajed cannot claim ignorance of this reality; she has been Prime Minister of that country in the past and on more than one occasion during her last tenure in power the BDR was the cause of tension between India and Bangladesh. She should have anticipated Wednesday’s crisis.

On their part, the BDR men insist that they had requested their officers to petition the Prime Minister for a salary hike and better service conditions when she visited the paramilitary organisation’s headquarters in Dhaka on Tuesday. But this was not done, presumably because the officers, who belong to the Army, are loath to see their subordinates prosper. This, in a sense, is the crux of the problem in Bangladesh (as it is in Pakistan): The elite do not wish to give up the enormous control they wield by virtue of keeping the overwhelming majority in gut-wrenching poverty. Sheikh Hasina Wajed must work towards dismantling this iniquitous social order; or else, democracy will mean little or nothing for the multitudes of Bangladesh and help the Islamists to prosper. Of course, any step in this direction is not without danger. The Bangladeshi Army is an unseen player in that country’s politics and there are deeply entrenched BNP-Jamaat elements who would want to see the new Government destabilised. After all, Sheikh Hasina Wajed cannot forget the massacre of August 15, 1975.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by himadri »

ASPuar wrote:Some very fishy photos from BDR website. Any bong speakers, please illuminate us as to what the text says? BD's border security agency getting too chummy with Pak is not what is in the best Indian interests.

http://www.bdr.gov.bd/gallery/sakil2pak.JPG

it says : on 26th May 2008 the returning defense advisor brigadier. general khadim hossain and newly appointed brigadier. gnrl shazzad rasul is presenting the supreme commander of rifles with a gift at the rifles headquarter.
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

Beeb uvacha
Fifty feared dead in Bangladesh

Nearly 50 people are feared dead in Bangladesh after border guards staged an armed mutiny, reports say.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7911524.stm
Whats this 200 year itch??!!

"We have taken up arms to save our souls," the unnamed soldier said. "This is a clash between the army and the BDR because they have always exploited us. It has been the same thing for 200 years," he said. "This is not political."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7910837.stm

Just the usual reasons for the mutiny reported at
Why The Bangladesh Rifles Rebelled
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?654751
But the piece has an interesting line

The newspaper reports that many BDR jawans uttered the " same demands" and urged the prime minister and home minister to visit them: “We want to tell them that we need freedom." But this concept of "freedom" seemed rather vague other than their living and work conditions: “Everybody knows how miserably we live. We cannot work independently. We don’t have a department of our own.” The newspaper also did not elaborate on their demands. The rebelling jawans apparently also demanded that all BDR officers including the ones at Pilkhana be withdrawn.
orbat.com reports

The issue was long simmering resentment concerning pay and the BDR's officers, who come from the regular army and are accused, by the mutineers, of ill-treating the enlisted men. The mutiny began after a major meeting of senior BDR commanders at Dacca. The NCOs and ORs asked their officers for permission to meet the Prime Minister. They were refused, and one soldier was slapped by the BDR commander. The rebels sealed off the camp from outside, and took 30 battalion commanders and senior officers hostage. For reasons still unknown, they kept up near continuous fire on civil areas surrounding their base, killing at least three civilians.

Inside the HQ, they shot dead a battalion commander and a sector commander (latter equivalent to a brigade). Many more officers are believed to have been killed, including the commander of the BDR. A delegation of 14 mutineers was taken under flag of truce to see the Prime Minister. She persuaded them to end the rebellion in exchange for amnesty.

http://www.bangladeshtoday.com says 4th and 17th Battalions East Pakistan Regiment, serving under HQ 46th Brigade (the brigade stationed in Dacca) and troops from the Air Defense brigade responded to the emergency. The Rapid Action Force, also a paramilitary unit for internal security, kept the BDR pinned inside their compound until the regular army turned up. BBC says Government sources say 50 officers have been killed, which basically implies a massacre. We are unsure how the Government will be able to justify amnesty in this case.

The mutiny apparently had no specific leader, although the rebels named one Nayek Shahid as their leader in their television interviews. Sources said they were acting as sparse small groups.

According to a SMS from Mujibul Huq's son, sent from the BDR compound at noon, Mujib's house was set on fire and he could not come out fearing death by gunshots. No information about Mujib's son, daughter, and wife could be gathered after that. Mujib had led BDR's Dal-Bhaat programme under the caretaker government and was present at Pilkhana's Darbar Hall from where the mutiny sparked during a speech of Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, on the occasion of the BDR Week. The mutineers began by speaking out at the Darbar Hall against the BDR high-ups, accusing them of misappropriating 'profits' made from the Dal-Bhaat programme, where 12 BDR sector commanders, many battalion commanders, and headquarters officers had gathered.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/n ... ?nid=77491
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RayC »

Sepoy Mutiny in Dhaka
- ‘Pay’ rebellion simmers after Hasina pardon
FARID HOSSAIN AND SUJAN DUTTA

Dhaka/New Delhi, Feb. 25: The Bangladesh border force today mutinied apparently over a pay dispute, forcing the army to turn its guns on the country’s first line of defence and saddling the fledgling Sheikh Hasina government with a crisis.......

Among the dead are two colonels who had been bayoneted and a rickshawpuller who was caught in the crossfire between the army and the rebels.

Till late tonight, despite the amnesty offer, intermittent gunfire could be heard from within the headquarters.

Sources said the rebels have laid down more conditions. First, Hasina’s amnesty assurance should be in writing and passed by the parliament. Second, the army, which has surrounded the BDR compound, should be withdrawn........

The BDR director-general, Maj Gen Shakeel Ahmed, earlier rumoured to have been shot dead, is said to be alive. “We did not hurt him at all,” a BDR trooper told a television station. “The DG was kept hostage inside and he is safe. We took him hostage after we came under attack.”.......

Elections in Bangladesh in December were held largely because the army was under international pressure to portray that it was the military of a democratic country. It was under threat of sanctions that would have meant fewer opportunities to participate in UN military missions, lucrative for third world countries. Armies in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are among the largest UN troop contributing countries.

Along with disparities over pay and perks with the army, BDR troops were also disgruntled that they were being denied these foreign assignments that would allow them to earn at least a thousand dollars per month — a small fortune in a country that is reeling in poverty......

Non-officer soldiers in UN peace enforcement missions draw about $1,100 per month (about 75,680 Bangladeshi taka or about 54,868 Indian rupees). Officers’ pay is fixed according to rank.

It appears the leadership had no inkling of the gathering storm — Hasina, who rode to power on a landslide in December, had only a day earlier taken salute at a parade at the same base........

They wanted a ration anomaly to be removed, too. While BDR personnel get rations (rice, wheat, sugar etc) for three months a year, the army staff on deputation are eligible for the perks throughout the year. The third demand was for permission to go on UN peacekeeping missions.

Hasina apparently was not told of the demands. The simmering discontent broke through this morning while the commandants were holding a meeting. BDR troopers burst into the room.

Unconfirmed reports suggested some angry senior officers might have fired at the juniors, triggering the armed revolt. Attempts by army and air force personnel to enter the BDR headquarters were thwarted by rebel soldiers......

The rebellious troopers claimed there were over 20,000 of them at the headquarters, which has an armoury. After a half-a-day-long mayhem, a 14-member team of troopers went to meet the Prime Minister at her official residence.

It is still early to predict what will follow. The dramatic act of defiance can provoke the generals to take on a more high-profile role but such a thrust is expected to stop short of a coup because of Hasina’s thumping majority. Also, a coup will attract the sanctions the army was keen to deflect by holding the elections in the first place.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090226/j ... 593408.jsp
RayC
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by RayC »

BSF worries about friend
NISHIT DHOLABHAI

New Delhi, Feb. 25: Major General Shakeel Ahmed, the Bangladesh Rifles director-general taken hostage by mutinying border guards, was a good sport when he lost a golf match with his Indian counterpart last year.

“In the spirit that it was played, I am ready to lose many such matches,” said Ahmed, who has been seen as a “friend of India ” since he took charge on February 1, 2003.

As news of the mutiny broke this morning, BSF officers were on the phone trying to reach their counterparts. There was no reply.

Frantic calls were made to Colonel Saifullah, Major Humayun and other officers known to be close to Ahmed but not one was answered amid reports that the lives of the officers and their families living on the sprawling campus of the BDR headquarters might be in danger.

BSF-BDR relations appeared to have soured for good when 16 BSF men were killed in 2001 by BDR guards at Boraibari village on the border in Assam.

But that changed after Ahmed took over in 2003.

Last year, BSF constable R.P. Singh went across the border and killed four persons of a family in a drunken stupor. About to be lynched by angry crowds, Singh was rescued by BDR guards.

“From Boraibari to this stage, it was thanks to Ahmed,” said former BSF chief A.K. Mitra.

Mitra and Ahmed had several back-to-back meetings and paved the way for successful home secretary-level talks last August.

Ahmed and his team played a pivotal role in real-time intelligence sharing at the sector level and institutionalising flag meetings up to the sector commander level, sources said. This endeared him to the BSF brass and built trust between the forces that man the sensitive border on either side.

The bonhomie the officer had struck with the BSF had not been seen since the 1971 war when the forces fought jointly, the sources said.

So when reports of a threat to the lives of Ahmed, his wife Nazneen and their young son reached the BSF headquarters, there was a sense of shock.

There was also the fear that the mutiny led by BDR Naik Shafi would demolish in one stroke the carefully built channels of communication between the two sides. After the mutiny, it is unlikely that Ahmed will return to the BDR because the mutineers want the reins of the border force out of army hands.

At present, the BDR brass are drawn from among the ranks of army officers — Ahmed led the influential 66th infantry division of the army before moving to the border force.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090226/j ... 593467.jsp
sum
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by sum »

So, our agencies were caught napping as usual?
Avinash R
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Avinash R »

Clashes between BDR and BA reportedly spreading.

Clashes near Indo-Bangla border.

BA barrack reportedly overrun by BDR in Dinajpur.

Rebels blocking roads in Khulna and Cox's Bazaar.

Some BA general blaming govt for slow moblisation which helped the rebels in regrouping.
AjayKK
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by AjayKK »

People gather bodies of members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in Dhaka February 26, 2009. Nearly 50 people were killed when Bangladesh paramilitary troops fought among themselves during a mutiny in the headquarters of the BDR over a pay dispute, a government minister said on Thursday. Police recovered five dead bodies of members of the BDR from beside the river Buriganga.
Image
Stan_Savljevic
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »


Others say the number of bodies is as much as 15. There is still no news of Director General of the Bangladesh Rifles, Shakeel Ahmed.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/st ... 0090084853

Several television channels said the BDR chief was injured in the attack, but no official confirmation was available.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 59/1/.html
Another edit says

The rebel BDR jawans alleged that the BDR DG along with some top officials misappropriated huge amount of money from the fund allocated to the BDR to conduct the 'Fair Prices Shop' and the Dal Vat programme during the last two years. They also claimed that a few months ago DG's wife was caught at the airport with foreign currency amounting to TK 7 crore while she was almost to fly abroad. "The BDR DG was kept hostage inside and he was safe. We took him hostage after we came under attack."

http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=116666
Confusing at this stage.

Some interesting observations from a blog. Take it for what its worth

But when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, wanted to merge the Bangladesh Rifles with the national militia named Rakkhi Bahini, the BDR stiffly opposed the move. But that was the first and last time the border force witnessed a situation close to mutiny.

Meanwhile two leaders of the ruling party, named Jahangir Kabir Nanak [leader of the youth front] and a state minister for Local Government Ministry and Mirza Azam [another youth leader and brother-in-law of Islamist militancy group named Jamaatul Mujahedin kingpin Shaikh Abdur Rahman] went to the Bangladesh Rifles Head Quarters to meet the mutinous troops for a dialogue. It was questioned by many that in such a crucial situation, why the government decided to send two of its leaders, who are infamous for instigating various forms of political agitations in the country. Although mutinous members of BDR were refusing to talk to members of media and even were firing at them, these two leaders from Awami League were virtually welcomed inside their Head Quarters by the mutinous troops and in less than 30 minutes, 14 members of their representatives even accompanied the two leaders of the ruling party to the official residence of the Prime Minister. The entire episode of meeting took place beyond the coverage of the media. But, Jahangir Kabir Nanak confessed to the press that, the representatives of the mutinous troops were 'emotional' in expressing their anger and demands to the Prime Minister.

Interestingly, almost all the mutinous members of BDR, who appeared before the media hail from the Southern part of the country, which is considered to be a strong vote bank of Bangladesh Awami League. Many of them were speaking like politicians or politically motivated elements.

http://bdosintmonitors.blogspot.com/
Another comment elsewhere I saw was that the BDR accused BDA of killing Sh. Mujib and Zia-ur-Rehman both. If these two + amnesty are added, it sounds like an orchestrated plan by Sh. Hasina to string the army up in the Razakars issue and extract a major concession to rid the country of these elements. Wow, if its true.
From the same blog

It is assumed that, General Shakil might have been either seriously injured or killed by the mutinous troops of the border security forces. The present BDR chief, Shakil Ahmed, who is said to have been attacked by his irate troops on Wednesday, has promised to work closely with India countering terrorist groups active along the borders. Indian Border Security Force officials talk of him as a "very friendly person always willing to co-operate."
Even if he has survived, Gen. Shakil is out of the picture, I guess.

The two hundred year itch gets answered here.
The British had first organized the Ramgarh Local Battalion in 1795 by recruiting the native population. The battalion was succeeded by the Eastern Frontier Rifles, which guarded the frontier from 1891 to 1920, when it was disbanded. Border duties were assumed by the East Pakistan Rifles before Bangladesh's independence in 1971 and later the force was renamed as Bangladesh Rifles. Apart from its primary task of protecting the borders, the members of Bangladesh Rifles have taken part in other military operations. This force was vested with the additional task of checking smuggling in 1958.
sum
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by sum »

The present BDR chief, Shakil Ahmed, who is said to have been attacked by his irate troops on Wednesday, has promised to work closely with India countering terrorist groups active along the borders. Indian Border Security Force officials talk of him as a "very friendly person always willing to co-operate."
Bad news for India, IMO if such a "friendly" person at the top has been removed
Stan_Savljevic
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

This does nt seem like ending anytime soon, hope the BSF is using its Hawk-eye to guard the border. I can sense a shaky silence.

1. A crack down by the Army on BDR Headquarters is imminent. Apparently dissension has percolated down the ranks and file of the forces on the Prime Minister General Amnesty declaration for the rebels.

2. The dissensions appear to be the outcome of rumors suggesting that as many as 36 Army officers inside the besieged BDR Headquarters have been killed, and they include the Director General, all the Sector Commanders. Aside there are also rumors of family members of Officers being executed and children hiding inside sewerage drains sending our SOS SMS text messages. {And she gave them amnesty?! so quick}

3. The number of people held hostage and/or casualty figures inside the compound is as yet unknown - but some rumors suggest that about 86 people have died since the siege began yesterday morning .

4. Residents of some apartments around the Peelkhana, Dhanmondi area closest to the Headquarter are being evacuated - as well as several student hostels in the Dhaka University area.

5. There are an estimated 2,000 BDR rebel soldiers inside the compound and are armed to the teeth with heavy weaponry's that include anti-aircraft weapons and Armoured Personnel carrier, Bazookas and mortars.

6. Bangladesh Army is besieging the compound and have even deplored Ack-Ack Guns.
Stan_Savljevic
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Re: Bangladesh News and Discussion

Post by Stan_Savljevic »

Please follow the blogspot site. It has some good updates from local sources.
http://bdosintmonitors.blogspot.com/

Anyone following local Bangla channels here or getting feeds from across the border?! Or even BBC Bangla. Our dhimmedia is again too slow, things are happening a bit too quickly across the border.
http://bdnews24.com server is busy!

SMS FLASH;
Cell phone networks restricted all across Bangladesh
Mob Networks restricted countrywide, except some areas in Dhaka, according to Govt directives, says telecon operators.

Here are some Bangla outlets, anyone following Bengali script please do the needful if relevant.
http://www.ittefaq.com/content/2009/02/26/
http://www.dailyjanakantha.com/
http://www.dailyinqilab.com/
http://www.akhonsamoy.com/
http://www.amardeshbd.com/dailynews/ind ... W=CDQIUBYZ
http://www.bangladeshnews24.com/bhorerk ... 009/02/26/
http://www.jugantor.com/online/content/2009/02/26/
http://manabzamin.net/
http://www.prothom-alo.com/
http://www.weeklysonarbangla.com/
http://www.shamokal.com/index.php
http://www.thedailysangbad.com/

With border checkposts left unmanned and patrolling virtually abandoned by troopers who disarmed their officers at some places, neighbour India placed its Border Security Force (BSF) on full alert and monitored the developments closely.

Another blog reporting Gen. Shakil's killing

Military sources said DG BDR Major General Shakil Ahmed is killed, along with four other officers. A total of 168 military officers were present in BDR Darbar Hall yesterday. Around 15-20 could escape. Rest are liquidated, according to sources.

http://bdfact.blogspot.com/2009/02/dg-b ... pdate.html
Wow!!

It is learnt emergency is likely to be proclaimed soon. Military officers are desetring BDR camps across the country. Wholesale crackdown on BDR after emergency is proclaimed, it is learnt.
Twitter updates

#bdr army high officials told doctors of dhaka medical college to be prepared for mass causalities to be happened in short time

hasina will give her speech to the nation shortly
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