"We're showing maximum restraint, and that does not mean we will remain silent all the time… Bangladesh is not a coward nation," BDR Operations Director Col. Chowdhury Hassan told UNB last evening.

Earlier, BSF inspector general for Tripura-Mizoram frontier, Suresh Kumar Dutt, told BBC in Kolkata that his troops observed Bangladesh military helicopters flying across the border into Indian territory.

He said the intrusions were reported from Chotakhil, Magrum and Beltoli, all in the southern district of the Indian state of Tripura.

He said that the BSF has not fired at them up until now, but would do so if they fly their helicopters into Indian territory again.

However, BDR rejected the BSF allegation. "It's a concocted story," the BDR operations director said.

He said BDR doesn't have helicopter. "We use airforce helicopter only for evacuation of our soldiers when they are sick. Besides, the situation has not taken any such dimension that we would use helicopter for operation."

Colonel Hassan said BDR had already protested the violation of Bangladesh airspace several times in Akhaura, Comilla, Sreemongal and other areas by the Indian Border Security Force since Friday.

"Even today (Sunday) we noticed Indian MI-8 helicopter flying over Sharifpur in Sreemongal from 9:30am to 10:00am. We've lodged protest against it," he said.

The BDR officer said, "Indian BSF is trying to provoke BDR jawans to step in the Zero Line, shoot at them and create a new situation."

BSF FIRES AT KIDS
BSF troops yesterday morning opened fire on Bangladeshi children as they entered the no man's land at Chansikari frontier in Chapainawabganj district.

Locals of Bholahat upazila said when some 10 to 12 children of Chansikari village entered the no man's land near main pillar number 119 to collect mangoes early in the morning, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) of Kestapur camp shot at them, reports private news agency UNB from Chapaina-wabganj.

But the kids escaped unhurt and returned home safely.

BDR Director General Major General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, talking to the BBC radio last night termed the incident unfortunate.

"I think the BSF higher authorities will take action against those responsible for the incident," he added.

"We are trying to establish communication with the BSF high-ups to ease the situation… Both the BDR and BSF have to make efforts to restore normalcy on the border."

REAZ-SIKRI MEET
In Dhaka, Bangladesh Adviser for Foreign Affairs Reaz Rahman and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Veena Sikri sat in an informal meeting yesterday in a bid to find a diplomatic means of blanketing the simmering border tension, reports BDNEWS.

During the meeting at the foreign ministry, sources said, both the sides talked on the recent border skirmishes and explained each other's position.

2 SENT OVER TO IDENTIFY BODIES
The BDR yesterday sent two people from frontier village Gopalpur to Bongaon on the Indian side of the border to identify bodies of the two Bangladeshi nationals shot dead by the BSF on Saturday, UNB reports from Jhenidah.

Sources said the move came after the BSF yesterday in a letter asked the BDR to send two people for identifying the dead bodies kept in the morgue of Bongaon.

Intruding BSF men gunned down Jahidur Rahman, 24, and Moktar, 20, of Gopalpur village while they were going out to their cropfield on Saturday morning.