Bangladesh has cut services to millions of mobile phones along its border with India for “security” reasons amid fears a new citizenship law passed by its giant neighbor could prompt an influx of migrants.
The country’s telecom regulator ordered the mobile shutdown late Monday along a one-kilometer band along the Indian frontier, the watchdog’s spokesman Sohel Rana said.
The directive was issued “for the sake of the country’s security in the current circumstances,” the spokesman said.
Bangladesh shares a 4,000-kilometer border with India and the shutdown would affect some 10 million mobile phone users, according to a top official from one operator.
“A large number of people in the border area will be without internet, voice and other mobile services,” said SM Farhad, a spokesman for an industry association of local telecom operators.
Officials from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said the move was prompted by fears of fallout from India’s new Citizenship Amendment Act, which accords rights to refugee migrants from neighboring countries but excludes Muslims.
“We are worried that India’s current condition may prompt many people to enter Bangladesh,” said a BTRC official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
At least 350 people had been arrested as they entered the western border district of Jhenidah from India’s West Bengal state in the last two months, an official said, adding they were mostly Bangladeshi Muslims who went to India illegally.
Local border guard commander Kamrul Ahsan said the number of people entering Bangladesh from India had risen dramatically as a result of the citizenship law.
Two weeks of protests over the law in India have seen at least 27 people killed and hundreds injured after clashes between police and protesters.
The earlier exclusion of nearly two million people from a new list of citizens in India’s Assam state has already triggered fears of deportations to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said attempts to deport people from India had been thwarted by border guards in recent weeks.
Media reports said hundreds of people who have recently entered Bangladesh from India have been detained by border guards.
– AFP
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
I like this web site so much, saved to bookmarks. “To hold a pen is to be at war.” by Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire.
I truly wanted to jot down a remark in order to express gratitude to you for those pleasant tips you are giving at this site. My time consuming internet search has at the end of the day been recognized with useful details to write about with my good friends. I ‘d claim that we visitors actually are undoubtedly fortunate to exist in a notable place with very many special people with very helpful hints. I feel truly privileged to have seen your entire website page and look forward to tons of more awesome times reading here. Thanks a lot once more for everything.
I like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I¦ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my website 🙂
Real informative and great bodily structure of content, now that’s user genial (:.
Wow! Thank you! I constantly needed to write on my site something like that. Can I include a portion of your post to my website?
Wonderful post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Bless you!
This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thanks, I?¦ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your website?