Chinese Infiltration Into Bangladesh

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LOOKEAST REPORT

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the informal WTO meeting in March 2018 asked India not to worry about Dhaka’s growing ties with China, asserting that the cooperation with Beijing was meant only for the country’s development.

However, it seems likely that India has enough reasons to worry, and Bangladesh too for that matter. The two countries are stunned in silence, as the appalling news of the Chinese boats carrying arms, smuggling into Bangladesh allegedly for local insurgent and extremist groups in Northeast India has dropped a bomb shell on the administration and authorities.

 

Role of the high ranking military officials of the Bangladeshi Coast Guard, has been questioned almost immediately as reports suggest that coast guard ships were missing from their posts when the alleged infiltration took place

 

The biggest cause of concern is a breach of tight security measures, wherein these boats have had a smooth sailing into Bangladeshi waters, without any hindrance whatsoever.

The incident bears an uncanny resemblance to the 2004 incident when 10 Chinese Trucks carrying arms for ULFA & other such groups were seized in Chittagong. This might be another such attempt to revive the Insurgent Organizations of Northeast by China so that the existing relative calm in the region can be disrupted again.

File photo of seized arms in Chittagong, April 2004

The role of the high ranking military officials of the Bangladeshi Coast Guard, has been questioned almost immediately as reports suggest that coast guard ships were missing from their posts when the alleged infiltration took place.

What is unfortunate this time is the fact that these Arms smugglings have been detected very late and the first cache of arms was allegedly smuggled as early as December 2016 through Chittagong port. Reports say that these arms have already reached Dhaka and might also be used to disrupt the upcoming Elections in the country.

This is the first major case of Chinese intervention in terms of supplying arms since Sheikh Hasina’s government handed over multiple insurgent leaders specially ULFA hiding in her country to India in 2009.

Meanwhile as the Sheikh Hasina and Indian Govt put their heads together to unearth the vile Chinese game plan, it remains to be seen if the two neighbours succced in building a bridge over the troubled waters. ■

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