What is of the most importance is the stand taken by the government of Bangladesh on behalf of its citizens against this wanton aggression on our borders. It is appalling to ask human rights groups to step up their efforts in this regard whilst not making any claim on the government! The BSF doesn't give a hoot about the Bangladesh government but is really going to pay attention to Odhikar! As if the international community has been paying a lot of attention recently to the troubles of Bangladesh! So our defence of our sovereignty depends largely on our NGOs joining forces with Indian NGOs. Oh how consoling to us that Indian NGOs are concerned!
This is categorically an appalling failure of this government and of the ruling Awami League. Mitigating this insulting and ghastly state of affairs by saying "BSF killed our people during BNP government too" is just adding insult to injury. Its almost as if that as long as AL is in power and Mujib's dynasty reigns there is no limit to the errors and mischief that can be tolerated. Any excuse can be found.
In other countries the Prime Minister and the government can fall on such an absurd and abysmal failure. But not in Bangladesh - oh no! Our priorities are quite different. This Prime Minister going to collect a peace prize in New Delhi and then returning to weekly murders by the BSF - there's nothing too bizarre about that. Its a kind of what? Realpolitik?
This is indeed an almighty big stick with which to beat the government. Damn straight and damn right. Stand over the dead body, console his wife and his child and then phone Odhikar?! Don't, by any means, hold our government accountable. After all its an AL government! We have leading secular, liberal intellectuals who actually accept this @@@@ in the name of pragmatism. Perhaps 70 citizens shot dead at the border and an annual Bollywood @@@@fest is a fair exchange for a billion dollar credit line? Well there's a certain self serving pragmatism in it I suppose.
And still embrace the ruling party as it boasts about truth, justice and sovereignty? What the heck is this? I reckon there's a bunch of Indian psycholgists running an experiment - lets see just how much crap Bangladeshis can take. Fools! They don't realise we'll wear them out! There's no limit to the crap we make or the crap we take.
Talk about it and you become some kind of weirdo. Hey - why you mad! Chill out! Relax! It'll be fine in the year 3010! We're getting there!
Yesterday the headlines read 'Martyred Intellectuals Day' and yet, when you read the detail, we find that there is no comprehensive official list of the dead. What the hell is that?
It's no bloody wonder our nation is heaven for NGOs. Lets start a Bodhikar of our own. Then we can blame ourselves the next time we can be bothered to give a damn about a poor person shot dead by another country's soldier.
--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Farida Majid <farida_majid@...> wrote:
>
>
> The beastly BSF has been engaged in atrocities againt innocent civilians indiscriminately on both sides of the border. Indian Human Rights activists have been making strong and organized protests. Perhaps our 'Odhikar' type of organizarions should join hands with them and see if a dent in the hopeless situation can be created. Govt. level negotiations have proved fruitless so far, whether BNP or BAAAAAAAAL is heading the BD administration. India-bashers of BD who use this as a stick to beat AL with should think of this long and steady record of BSF abuses.
>
> I really do not understand India's politics behind this wanton killing spree. But Indian State-sponsored terrorism against its own people is endemic and rife in every state of India. Read Arundhati Roy against the Govt. assault on the Maoist insurgents. It is a shameful picture everywhere you look.
>
> Farida Majid
> ==========================
> [From an older posting ----]
>
> Abuses by India's Border Security Force; Questions about Media Coverage
> SEPIA MUTINY
> http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/005883.html#comments
>
> Via the New York Times blog, The Lede, I've been looking at a number of links regarding India's Border Security Force (BSF). The starting point for the coverage in the Times was the news in the Deccan Herald that 178 women have, for the first time, joined the force. But the real story The Lede blogger, Robert Mackey, is interested in are the numerous reports of abuses by the BSF, specifically the killing of unarmed people on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border, including both Bangladeshis and Indian citizens. The Lede embeds the following BBC Channel 4 report on the abuses, which is pretty horrifying:
>
>
> See Channel Four Story on BSF (10 minutes) Check out
> http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1184614595?bctid=30479039001
>
>
>
>
>
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> From: qrahman@...
> Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:40:53 -0500
> Subject: Re: [ALOCHONA] BSF kills 1000 Bangladeshis in 10yrs
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The actual number should be higher than this.
>
> Since BAL has good relations with India, I was hoping they will let us control our population by orthodox ways (using contraceptives)------not by killing small farmer and traders like cattle. I do not think we need Indian "Help" in this area anymore.
>
> India's officials need to explain the difference between border with Kashmir and border with Bangladesh to BSF members. We do not have hostile relations with India. However Indian "Hostile" attitude may produce hostile neighbors in future.
>
> I do not think India needs another "Hot" border in near future.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Isha Khan bdmailer@...
> Sent: Tue, Dec 14, 2010 8:20 am
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] BSF kills 1000 Bangladeshis in 10yrs
>
>
> BSF kills 1000 Bangladeshis in 10yrs
>
>
>
> Dhaka, Dec 13 (bdnews24.com)—Some 1,000 Bangladeshis were killed by
>
> Indian border guards over the last decade, according to a report
>
> released by rights groups.
>
>
>
> Human rights group Odhikar and Human Rights Watch At a press
>
> conference at BRAC Centre on Monday revealed the report on killing,
>
> abuse and torture by the Border Security Force (BSF) of India along
>
> the border.
>
>
>
> Apart from the killings, the report says, the Indian border guards
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> usually threaten, abuse and beat us Bangladeshi people living in
>
> frontiers villages, but they hardly get any cooperation from
>
> Bangladesh police. "It's a gross violation of human rights."
>
>
>
> The report was prepared based on statements of victims, witnesses,
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> journalists, human rights workers, law enforcement officials and
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> members of BSF and BDR.
>
>
>
> The report says that the governments of both Bangladesh and India need
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> to hold joint, fair investigations into the situation. "India must
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> also discard the attitude of avoiding responsibility."
>
>
>
> Taking part in an open discussion, Odhikar general secretary Atikur
>
> Rahman Khan said BSF is killing one Bangladeshi every four days.
>
>
>
> "Both governments must take steps to stop these mindless killings," he said.
>
>
>
> A father who lost his teenage son to BSF gunfire and a man who was
>
> shot and injured shared their agonies at the press conference.
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
> [Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this
>
> message. The author takes full responsibility.]
>
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