AGARTALA, July 9 (TIWN): The former Bangladesh foreign minister says the present government will never allow its territory for export of terror." We appreciate India's security concerns in the Northeast and we will continue to crush all insurgents from the region who try to use the soil of Bangladesh," Dipu Moni told TIWN on the sideslines of the one-day Tripura Conclave in Agartala on Wednesday.

Former Bangladesh foreign minister Dipu Moni says the Awami league-led government in Bangladesh will continue its crackdown against all Northeast insurgent groups which had operated from her country during previous regimes.

"These operations are continuos as evident from the Rapid Action Battalion's recovery of a huge quantity of weapons at Satcherri near the border with Tripura."

Satcherri used to be the headquarters of the now weakened All Tripura Tiger Force.

Dipu Moni said that when the Awami League was out of power in Bangladesh, 'other regimes in league with some countries exporting terror'  started sponsoring insurgents from northeast India . 

"But when our goverment came to power in January 2009, we decided to crackdown on these groups. I can say they have been decpitated  to a large extent."

She said Bangladesh was also a victim of terrorism of the worst kind that was unleashed during the rundown to the Jan 5 elections.

"Petrol bombs were thrown on buses and trains, there was organised sabotage on railway tracks , innocent men and women were killed ."

But she said the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stood firm and organized the elections despite all the mayhem.

She said Bangladesh is determined to cooperate with all neighbours to eliminate all forms of terror in the eastern reaches of South Asia."We are a democracy and protest is a part of democracy but there is no place for terror. And it is the bounden duty of all elected government to crush terror."

Dipu Moni, who is now chairperson of the Bangladesh parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, pitched strongly for sub-regional cooperation involving Bangladesh and neighbouring states of India, like Tripura.

"Since the days of our liberation war, we hold Tripura dear to our heart because you sacrificed so much to help our people in distress," she said.

Her government allowed Tripura transhipment of heavy equipment for commissioning the 726 MW Palatana project and is now allowing Tripura to bring in 10000 MT of foodgrains from mainland India through the Chittagong-Asuganj route.

The sub-regional cooperation would be all-encompassing , covering trade and commerce, people to people contact , cultural exchanges and much else, she said.

Dipu Moni sat through the entire Conclave answering questions fielded by the audience that was clearly pushing for ever stronger relations between Tripura and Bangladesh.

"We provide you access to sea, you have no reasons to feel landlocked , " Dipu Moni told the audience .