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Thursday, Dec 18, 2008
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Insurgents operating from Bangladesh, Myanmar

Sandeep Joshi

India has been putting pressure on these nations to stop such activities

NEW DELHI: Many Indian insurgent groups are operating from Bangladesh and Myanmar and India is putting pressure on its neighbours through diplomatic channels to stop such activities. It is also focussing on completing the fencing of the border with Bangladesh to check illegal immigration and infiltration.

This was stated by Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

He said several anti-India groups were finding Bangladesh and Myanmar as safe havens, though both nations denied it. There were reports that insurgent groups from the northeast have links with terrorist organisations, including Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, which in turn is reported to have links with Pakistan-based terror groups and the Inter-Services Intelligence.

Terror groups such as HuJI and Lashkar-e-Taiba were using Bangladesh for infiltration and carrying out terror activities in India. We are not happy with the situation. This issue has been discussed with Bangladesh and will be taken up again when a democratic government is elected by the end of this month.

Mr. Chidambaram said he was not satisfied with the progress in the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border. He had asked the authorities concerned to “quicken the process.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has instructed that the fencing should be completed on schedule. It is a difficult terrain where normal fencing may not work. We have asked the authorities to take whatever additional measures are required to complete the job.

On Samajwadi Party member Amar Singh’s question that whether the government was aware that terror camps were operating at Dhubri and Bongaigaon in Assam, Mr. Chidambaram said: “Neither can I confirm nor deny that such camps are there. This government will take note of the matter seriously; and if there are any camps, the Centre and the State government would dismantle them immediately.

The Minister pointed out that there were gaps in the intelligence apparatus. “The problem is being addressed expeditiously to prevent recurrence of terror attacks. We are focussing on better gathering and sharing of information between intelligence and security agencies. All States have been asked to raise special anti-terror squads.

Regional hubs of the National Security Guards would be set up soon and coastal security was also being beefed up. A ‘Coastal Command’ with a mandate to protect the India’s coastline would be put before the Cabinet for approval soon.

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