DHAKA, 21 May 2004 — The United States will provide logistics support to Bangladesh to track down terrorists and help stem arms trafficking along its 3,400-kilometer porous border with India.
Bangladesh signed an agreement to this effect with the US Assistant Secretary of State, Christina Rocca, before she ended her three-day visit to Dhaka yesterday.
Under the agreement, Bangladesh, armed with American technology, will protect US interests in the country and extend full cooperation to Washington in identifying individuals or groups suspected of working against US interests.
Home Ministry officials, declining to disclose details of the accord, said the agreement makes it binding on the Bangladesh government to take care of every single US interest including protection of US citizens and installations.
Christina Rocca and Home Secretary Omar Farooq signed the pact that provides for installation of the PISCES (Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System), a sophisticated computer software to document passengers traveling into and out of the country and check movement of suspected terrorists.
In exchange, the US will help Bangladesh develop a computer database for use at airports and seaports for immigration purposes.
Ministry sources said the agreement will remain valid for five years and can be renewed after that.
According to the US sources, PISCES is a part of the US Department of State’s Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP), which seeks to tighten security at key terrorist transit points worldwide.
PISCES is tailored to each country’s specific needs, which provides border officials at these transit points with information that allows them to identify and detain or track down “individuals of interest”.
It also increases capacity to collect, compare, and analyze traveler data, mainly to stem the flow of terrorists, weapons and illegal funds.
“PISCES data can be used to quickly and accurately identify and intercept individuals suspected of illegal activity. PISCES can be used in the interdiction of narcotics and other forms of smuggling as well,” said an official spokesman.
The US government will provide hardware, software and training assistance for development of database information system under the scheme. Immigration authorities at Zia International Airport presently use a locally developed computer database.
A Home Ministry spokesman said, “The scheme has been designed to enable Bangladesh government to detect and monitor entry and exit of undesirable persons within the country’s borders.”
Earlier, the US Embassy prepared the draft agreement and sent it to the ministry.
