Rise in border killings regrettable, puzzling

It is shameful and puzzling that border killings have increased in recent times, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday.

“Indian government has always been promising that not a single person would be killed [in the border]. Yet, it continues to happen. We also have an agreement that no lethal weapon would be used in the border. Yet it’s happening,” he told reporters.

Momen was addressing a press conference on the prime minister’s visit to Italy on February 4-6 at the foreign ministry.

He said the government is very concerned over the issue, and has summoned the Indian high commissioner and wanted to know why border killings continue.

“Especially this year, border killings have increased significantly. It is very regrettable,” he said, adding that recently seven such killings took place within two weeks.

Momen said the foreign ministry recently told the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh it was very shameful that such border killings were taking place when the India-Bangladesh relations are so good.

“We don’t want a single death in the border, but sadly it is occurring,” the minister said.

High officials of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) also discussed the issue and agreed to bring the killings to zero.

Momen said the Indian side, in different times, raised various arguments. For example, members of BSF posted anew that they do not have that level of teaching [on the issue of border killing] and sometimes Bangladeshis cross the border to Indian territory when they are shot.

“Citing such instances, they say they haven’t killed them in the border, but in their territory,” he told reporters.

He also said, “There are some ‘greedy people’. They bring commodities from India, but enter Indian side to bring those. I would request them not to sacrifice life for little money.”

Citing Indian side as saying, Momen said, sometimes gangs in the border areas shoot Indian soldiers, which prompt the Indian forces to shoot back.

“We want an amicable solution to this. We don’t want a single border killing.”

BANGLADESH, ITALY MAY SIGN THREE MoUs

Bangladesh and Italy may sign three bilateral memorandums of understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to Rome.

The MoUs include cultural exchanges, political consultation and cooperation on diplomatic training.

The prime minister is set to leave Dhaka for Rome on February 4, at the invitation of her Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte. She will hold a bilateral meeting with Conte on February 5.

The PM is likely to seek more Italian investment in potential sectors and regularise the undocumented Bangladeshis living in Italy. Earlier, Italy has regularised many undocumented Bangladeshis. There are nearly 200,000 Bangladeshis living in the European country.

The prime minister will also meet some Italian businessmen as part of Bangladesh’s drive for economic diplomacy and boosting trade.

Hasina will also inaugurate the Chancery Building of Bangladesh embassy in Rome in Via Dell’antartide area.

On February 6, she will have an audience with Pope Francis.

“Pope Francis has a very good relationship with Bangladesh. He is appreciative of Bangladesh’s religious harmony. Pope Francis also supported Bangladesh for sheltering the Rohingyas,” the foreign minister said.

MOMEN THANKS DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS

Momen also thanked the foreign diplomatic missions in Dhaka for not including their local staffers in the election observation teams. “I’m happy that the missions have shown responsibility,” he told reporters.

The Election Commission had approved the names of 74 officials -- 46 foreign and 28 local employees of the embassies -- for observing the Dhaka North and South City Corporation polls, held yesterday.

The foreign ministry had asked the foreign diplomatic missions on January 30 to not include local staffers of the embassies in the foreign election observer teams, saying that it was a violation of the electoral code of conduct.

During yesterday’s polls, foreign diplomats dropped their local employees from the observer teams.