Silchar, August 12 2009: Bangladesh security forces have foiled the attempt by the anti-Tipaimukh marchers of the neighbouring country to enter Indian territory through Assam's Barak valley area.

The protestors, part of the long march' programme from Dhaka, were stopped at Jakiganj and Amlshid locality in Bangladesh near the Indian border yesterday.

Bangla authorities pressed police, elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) into the job to stop the marchers from progressing towards the Zero point of the international border.

Meanwhile, Border Security Force (BSF) maintained vigil on the Indian side.''The situation is quite normal.

We have been maintaining full vigil,'' said a senior BSF official responsible for guarding this part of the border.

At least seven speed boats were pressed into service by the BSF to patrol along the river in border to prevent any attempt by the members of the 'long march' programme to enter the Indian side, he said.

The protestors also failed to get support from the people residing in border areas of the neighbouring country, that helped weaken the spirit of the anti-Tipaimukh agitation, sources from across the border said.

Protesting the proposed 1500 MW Tipaimukh Multi purpose Hydel Project on the Barak river in Manipur, at least 1200 members of Tipaimukh Dam Resistance Committee and Sylhet Division Unnayan Sangram Committee started their 'long march' from Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar on August 8 with a view to reach the remote Tipaimukh, 200 km inside India from Indo-Bangladesh border point of Amlshid.

The protesters reached the Indian border via Sylhet, 290 km from Dhaka in north-eastern part of Bangladesh on Monday afternoon.

They organised mass gathering at Jakiganj using loudspeakers near Indian border and spoke against India's attempt to construct the dam.

They were joined by the leaders of anti-dam Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and hardliner Jamat-e-Islami.

Bangladesh feels it would incur huge 'economic and environmental' losses if India builds the Tipaimukh dam.

''The government should consider opposition's views on the issue and could go to the International Court if the bilateral discussion between Bangladesh and India fail to provide any positive result on it.

We cannot allow the north-eastern part of Bangladesh to turn into desert because of the proposed dam on Barak,'' the protestors said.

BSF's sector DIG under Mizoram-Cachar Frontier P K Dube yesterday morning visited the border area to take stock of the situation.

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