UNB, Dhaka :
Bangladesh seeks to hold talks with Myanmar to discuss ways to prevent drug smuggling along the border, home ministry officials said.
Home Ministry additional secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told UNB this week the foreign ministry has been asked to contact Myanmar to set a date for the talks.
Bangladesh has long been worried about a huge inflow of smuggled contraband drugs like yaba and phensedyl from Myanmar.
A home ministry delegation, headed by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, has been on a visit to Bangladesh’s border areas with Myanmar since Friday to inspect measures to stop the drug trafficking.
Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh looks forward to a fruitful dialogue with the Myanmar authorities and find a solution to the long-standing issue.
Bangladesh officials say huge illegal drugs, including contraband Yaba tablets, are smuggled into the country through hilly areas of the border, especially Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar and Naikhongchhari in Banbardan.
The 250-kilometre land border between Bangladesh and Myanmar is also found out to be a hotspot for drug-smuggling between the countries.
Home Ministry joint secretary Siddikur Rahman told UNB that a high-profile monitoring committee comprising members of Police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and officials of different anti-narcotic organisations, has already been formed to curb drug smuggling along border areas of the country.
The monitoring committee is headed by Home Ministry joint secretary Siddik Ullah.
Siddik Ullah said the monitoring committee will conduct a inspection of its own along the border areas this month.
The committee will take some crucial decisions based on the inspection in its first meeting that is scheduled to be held this month, he added.
According to Home Ministry, 49,14,992-bottles phensedyl, 654.617-kilograms of heroin, 4,99,716-bottles of illegal alcohol, 1,94,608-kilograms of hemp, 5,16,665-ampule injection drugs and 51,11,431-piece yaba tables were seized by the law enforcing agencies and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) along the border from July 2009 to June 2013.
About 48,000 drug-smuggling related cases are pending with the court.
Sources at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) told UNB that they have already tracked down the wealth accumulation by some suspected smugglers and prepared a list.
This will be used by the home ministry to conduct a special anti-smuggling drive.
They said DNC has prepared profiles of suspected drug traders along with their photos.
DNC has placed some recommendations to the home ministry to curb the Yaba smuggling, a key concern for Bangladesh.
DNC additional director Abu Taleb said patrols along the border in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, particularly along the Naf river that separates Bangladesh and Myanmar should be increased to curb Yaba-smuggling.
