Bangladesh Says Mutinous Guards Surrender
By VOA News
26 February 2009
The Bangladesh government says border guards have laid down their weapons after two days of street fighting for better pay and new bosses.
A government spokesman says the situation is now completely under control. But while the gunfire appears over in the capital, Dhaka, the situation in other parts of the country is unclear.
The government announced that the mutinous guards fully surrendered Thursday after military tanks rolled into the capital to back up Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's warning that the the guards would face "tough action" if they did not give up.
The mutiny began Wednesday at the Dhaka headquarters of a paramilitary unit called the Bangladesh Rifles. Officials say 50 people may have died in the violence.
A representative for the guards said they were surrendering because the prime minister agreed to look into their demands for better conditions.
Ms. Hasina offered to pardon the guards if they peacefully returned to their barracks. It is unclear whether the amnesty would apply to the paramilitary forces implicated in the killing of their superior army officers.
The guards' main job is to guard the country's borders, but they also can serve as backup for the army and police.
The home minister in neighboring India, Palaniappan Chidambaram, says that country's Border Security Force will remain vigilant.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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