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India, Nepal to control cross border criminal acts

KATHMANDU: India and Nepal will cooperate to control criminal activities across their common border, a joint statement from the two countries said on Friday.

Security concerns about the India-Nepal border have mounted since five men commandeered an Indian Airlines airplane on a scheduled flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi, shortly after it took off from Nepal on Christmas Eve.

"They (the officials) agreed to strengthen cooperation to control undesirable activities and the movement of terrorists, criminals and other undesirable elements across the border," said the statement.

The statement from the South Asian neighbours came at the end of a three-day meeting of a Joint Working Group on Border Management between senior officials from the two countries.

Nepal and India share a 1,580-km (987-mile) common border which is open for the free movement of their nationals under a 49-year-old treaty.

Both New Delhi and Kathmandu say the open border facility is being misused for criminal activities.

Negotiators said the group discussed different ways of controlling illegal activities across the border including the possibility of introducing a passport system for air travellers and records of commuters across the the border.

Officials said they had not taken a decision on these measures.

The statement said no one, including third country nationals, should be allowed to misuse the "privilege of unimpeded access" of their nationals across the border.

Officials said the next meeting of the working group, which was set up four years ago, would be held in New Delhi but the dates had not been finalised. -Reuters