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  Date / Time: 2/28/2009 12:44 AM UTC

  Bangladesh sends in tanks to quell mutiny
  

  Bangladesh sends in tanks to quell mutiny

  The Bangladeshi government has sent in tanks to tackle a mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles border security guards which has left more than 50 dead, including senior army officers.

   

  By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
  Last Updated: 12:45AM GMT 27 Feb 2009

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  Bangladesh sends in tanks to quell mutiny Photo: AP

  

  Bangladesh border guards: Bangladesh has sent in tanks as the mutiny spreads Photo: AP

  The deployment was part of a series of emergency measures which included shutting down the country's mobile phone networks and sending regular army soldiers to confront the mutineers.

  Ten tanks surrounded the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), the 70,000- strong force which patrols the country's porous border. The BDR has a proud military record of fighting the Pakistan Army during its independence war, and Indian forces in a number of border confrontations.

  Within hours of the tanks taking up positions around the BDR's Dhaka HQ, many rebels surrendered their weapons and ended their two day mutiny, a government negotiator said.

  Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina took a hard line against the rebels after an earlier offer of a general amnesty and an inquiry into their grievances failed to quell their revolt.

  She had met 14 mutineers in Dhaka, along with her army chiefs after a day of bloodshed which clearly rattled the recently-elected government. Sources close to Sheikh Hasina said she had offered an olive branch to the rebels to avoid further bloodshed and to stop the violence spreading throughout the country.

  But initial hopes that the mutineers were ready to give up were dashed when fresh gunfire was heard within the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters and sporadic clashes between the border security guards and regular army troops were reported at other camps and security posts.

  In a nationwide broadcast, the prime minister warned the mutineers not to try her patience. "Lay down your guns immediately and go back to barracks. Do not force me to take tough actions or push my patience beyond tolerable limits," she said.

  She spoke amid growing fears that the commanding officer of the Bangladesh Rifles, Major-General Shakil Ahmed was among the dead. He is believed to have been in the regiment's 'Darbur' community hall when the rebels burst in and shot an estimated 15 dead. The bodies of two colonels were later found dumped in a sewer behind the barracks.

  The rebels later told ministers and army chiefs that they had revolted over poor pay, limited promotion prospects and resentment at being used by their officers in cross-border smuggling and other corrupt activities. The Bangladesh Rifles is widely believed to be a leading player in smuggling, and is seen within the army as a 'degradation posting' to punish errant officers.

  Earlier today, the mutineers said they had still not surrendered their weapons and that they were also demanding the removal of army officers and the promotion of new officers from within their ranks.

  Speaking to reporters over loudhailers, one of the rebels said they feared army retribution if they laid down their arms and claimed they had been tortured by their own officers in the past. "If we lay down arms, army officers will repress us. We want army-free BDR We'll provide our own security. We are not enemies of anyone," said one mutineer.

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