DTN News - BANGLADESH DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Pledges $1 Bln Arms Loan To Bangladesh

DTN News - BANGLADESH DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Pledges $1 Bln Arms Loan To Bangladesh

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 15, 2013: Russia will issue a $1 billion loan to Bangladesh for purchases of Russian-made arms and military equipment, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday.

“Russia…will allocate a $1 billion loan to Bangladesh for purchases of Russian arms and military equipment,” Putin said.

Bangladesh is likely to use the cash to buy MiG-29SMT fighter jets and upgrade an earlier batch of MiG-29s, as well as buying BTR-80 armored vehicles and Mi-171 military helicopters, Russian military analyst Igor Korotchenko said.

The deal is part of an array of agreements signed during Putin’s talks with Hasina in Moscow on Tuesday. The two countries also settled on a project to jointly build Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant and signed memorandums of understanding in various spheres, including anti-terrorism, justice, healthcare and education.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti
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FBI Agrees To Assist Bangladesh In Inquiry / Bangladesh To Rename BDR / Police Arrest ‘Ringleader’ Of Bangladesh Mutiny

FBI Agrees To Assist Bangladesh In Inquiry / Bangladesh To Rename BDR / Police Arrest ‘Ringleader’ Of Bangladesh Mutiny

(NSI News Source Info) Dhaka - March 5, 2009: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has "agreed to help" Bangladesh in carrying out forensic investigations into the Bangladesh Rifles troopers’ mutiny, a media report said.

Acting deputy state department spokesman Gordon Duguid told a press briefing in Washington that he believed that the FBI would agree to help Bangladesh in investigating the BDR revolt, the Daily Star reported on Wednesday. Mr Duguid said that they have received a request from Bangladesh for FBI help in forensic investigation into the mutiny. "I believe the FBI has agreed to do that," the report quoted Mr Duguid as saying. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had sought help from the FBI to look into the uprising.

Additional Info/ Related News

Bangladesh To Rename BDR

To wash away the stigma of Bangladesh Rifles mutiny, Bangladesh will rename and reorganise its paramilitary force. The mutiny by the rifles killed most of its officers.

Director of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Ashish Kumar Mitra (2nd R) inspects a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) guard of honour at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka October 25, 2007. Five-day long bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh began on Thursday on border issues.

“The government in principle has decided to rename Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) as soon as possible,” Army’s Chief of General Staff of Army Sinha Ibne Jamali told reporters on Monday, Mar 2 night at the army headquarters.

The Bangladesh Rifles was earlier know as Eastern Rifles. It is a 215-year old force set up during the British rule to guard the countries eastern frontiers. Decision is yet to be taken on what would be the new name.

Former President and army chief General HM Erashad earlier demanded the dismantling of the BDR in line with military practices of abolishing units after mutinies.However, the country’s top brass want to continue with the force with the strength of over 40,000, but with a new name and a fresh orientation.

Additional Info/ Related News

Police Arrest ‘Ringleader’ Of Bangladesh Mutiny

Bangladeshi police said they arrested the suspected ringleader of a deadly insurrection by border guards, an attack the prime minister cited as proof of ‘a conspiracy” against her fledgling government. The army meanwhile continued to search for more than 1,000 border guards who fled after last week’s mutiny at their headquarters in Dhaka in which the guards ambushed their commanding officers, leaving at least 69 people dead. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who came to power two months ago, has suggested the border guards had outside help in plotting their uprising, although she has not specified from whom. She told supporters Tuesday night that the attack proved there was ‘a conspiracy” against her. ‘We must remain alert so no one can take away the rights of the people,” Hasina said. Parallel military and civilian investigations were launched Tuesday to determine the details of and reasons for the two-day mutiny that began Feb. 25. The alleged ringleader, Syed Tauhidul Alam, was arrested in a Dhaka slum Tuesday along with four other border guards, all of whom have been charged with murder and arson, according to A.K. Azad, a spokesman for the elite police unit that carried out the raid. Two soldiers (2nd L and 3rd R) of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), who were held as hostages by mutinous soldiers, walk with locals after they were released by their captors from the BDR headquarters in Dhaka February 26, 2009. Mutinous members of the Bangladesh paramilitary unit have completed laying down their weapons at their headquarters in the capital Dhaka after an uprising that began on Wednesday, a government official said on Thursday. Police paraded the suspects before reporters Tuesday night but the guards were not allowed to speak. Television footage showed them, dressed in sarongs and dirty shirts, slumped and limping before the cameras. Alam wore a signboard around his neck with his name spelled out. There was confusion over when and how Alam was arrested. Hasina said Sunday that Alam had surrendered and was in custody. Police insisted he was arrested Tuesday; Hasina’s office declined to comment. One of the suspects, Naik Firoz Ahmed, shouted, ‘Sir, I have surrendered,” before a police official silenced him, according to the United News of Bangladesh agency. The guards say they revolted over long-standing demands for parity in pay and other perks enjoyed by army officers, who command the border forces. During the mutiny, Alam emerged as the lead negotiator with Hasina’s office, winning an offer of amnesty in exchange for surrendering. Hasina later rescinded the offer for those directly responsible for the killings, which included Alam, police said. At least 54 army officers and wives were among the 69 people killed, and six army officers were still missing, authorities said. The insurrection and its aftermath have created a rift between the impoverished country’s civilian and military leadership. The powerful military, which has backed 21 coups in the country’s 38-year history and relinquished power to an elected government only two months ago, is furious over how Hasina handled the crisis, maintaining she should have ordered an immediate army assault to end the mutiny instead of negotiating and offering amnesty. Military investigators interrogated hundreds of border guards and searched ransacked offices and bloodstained sewers at the guards’ compound on Tuesday, according to a panel member who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Military leaders also forced the government to appoint more senior army officials to the parallel civilian probe, another concession won from Hasina’s rattled government. The government said senior army officials occupied five of the civilian investigation panel’s 11 seats. Hasina and the military share a long, bitter history. A 1975 military rebellion killed her father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with most of their family. Political analysts said the mutiny threatened to damage relations further and shifted the balance of power toward the military.

Bangladesh Border Guards Mutiny Over Pay

Bangladesh Border Guards Mutiny Over Pay

(NSI News Source Info) February 25, 2009: Gun and mortar fire echoed across Bangladesh’s capital this morning as border guards mutinied against their superior officers and seized a shopping mall, apparently over a pay dispute. At least one person was killed and eight more were injured, according to a local hospital official. Flames were seen rising from the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles border guards and several loud blasts were heard as army troops entered the complex and surrounded the mall in a bid to crush the mutiny. A military helicopter was also seen hovering over the camp in Dhaka’s Pilkhana district as traffic ground to a halt in the immediate area and panic spread across the entire city. "There has been a huge exchange of gunfire at the headquarters. We have heard mortar fire," said Nabojit Khisa, the local police chief. The sound of gunfire in the capital initially raised fears of a military coup but local television reports said that the border guards had come out of their barracks chanting slogans for better pay and conditions and then seized a shopping mall and a conference hall, where officers were meeting. The television channel ETV reported that several bystanders had been hit by stray bullets. The fighting comes only a day after Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister, visited the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters and urged the border guards to become “more disciplined and remain ever-ready to guard the country's frontiers”. A statement from the army said that the Government was urging the border guards to lay down their arms and return to barracks and was offering to hold talks over their demands. "Please end the indiscipline and violent activities immediately, drop your guns and return to the barracks," the statement said. "The Prime Minister will listen to your demands and meet them as much possible. Please resume order and end violence otherwise you will face (punitive) actions." Sajjad Haider, a spokesman for the Bangladesh Rifles, said: “The army has moved in to deal with the situation.” The mutiny is the most serious crisis yet for the newly elected Government, which came to power in December after two years of army-backed emergency rule.

No Plans For Military Base In Bangladesh: US

No Plans For Military Base In Bangladesh: US

(NSI News Source Info) Dhaka - February 9, 2009: The US has expressed its willingness to assist Bangladesh in maritime patrol and secure its unprotected territorial sea lanes, but has said that it has no plan to set up a military base. Richard Boucher, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia on Sunday clarified this point while winding up his two day visit here. Boucher told the media: "I think there are some interests in maritime patrol so you can protect your sea areas better. We can help their (border security agencies') activities but the modalities will depend on what Bangladesh wants." The Bangladesh Navy originally under Bangladesh Forces was created during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971 against Pakistan. Its official creation was established in July 1971 during the historic Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference. In 1971, with West Pakistan imposing a military rule in East Pakistan, the Bangladesh War of Independence also known as Bangladesh Liberation War was truly underway. Many Bengali sailors and officers in the Pakistan Navy defected to form the Bangladesh Navy. On 9 November 1971, the first naval fleet consisting of six small ships was inaugurated. Initially, there were two ships and 45 navy personnel. These ships tried to carry out raids on the Pakistani fleet and later were mistakenly hit and sunk by Indian fighter planes on December 10, 1971. A major attack was launched on Mongla seaport. According to official figures from Bangladesh Navy, a total of 334 sailors were involved with the newly created navy with 22 being killed. These sailors were mostly Pakistan Navy trained divers who were absorbed into regular navy after the war ended. He brushed off a suggestion that the US might be planning to set up a military base in Bangladesh. "We do not have any intention for a permanent presence (in Bangladesh)," New Age quoted him as saying on Monday. A military base is a sensitive issue in Bangladesh and it goes back to the cold war era. Boucher said: "The US has a lot of cooperation with different countries, different governments and different agencies. Some are with civilian agencies, like police, and some are with military agencies." Boucher, who interacted with Bangladesh's top leadership, including opposition leader Khaleda Zia, ended his visit even as Dhaka, in the midst of diplomatic activities, prepared to receive Indian Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee. Mukherjee is due in Dhaka later on Monday. Boucher said his talks explored areas of cooperation between the new governments in Dhaka and Washington headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Barack Obama. The US official identified new areas like climate change, agriculture and health-care and assured continuation of US support to Bangladesh. The issue of cooperation in marine patrols came in the backdrop of a row over oil and gas exploration between Myanmar and Bangladesh in waters claimed by Dhaka in the Bay of Bengal. Both Bangladesh and Myanmar have deployed warships in the Bay of Bengal to establish their claims. Diplomatic efforts involving China and South Korea by Bangladesh's then military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed apparently put to an end the row. There was a stand-off with India last November when Bangladesh Navy confronted an Indian survey ship backed by a naval vessel. The row was sorted out through diplomatic talks.