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| An Indian Army platoon conducts a vehicle search in the Bangladesh checkpoint lane. |
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"It is my firm belief that this training will have a far-reaching and significant impact on peacekeepers for successful operation in multinational environment in the days to come.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
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About 600 soldiers and civil police officers from nine countries converged on the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) in the Rajendrapur Cantonment,
48 kilometers north of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to conduct the second Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise (MPE). Highlighting the importance of peacekeeping in today’s world, the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia, said at the opening ceremonies, “It is my firm belief that this training will have a far-reaching and significant impact on peacekeepers for successful operation in multinational environment in the days to come.”
The exercise, called “SHANTEE DOOT” (ambassador of peace), by the host Bangladesh Army, involved participants from Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the United States. They numbered more than twice the participants in the first MPE held in Nepal in 2000. This second MPE, held in September 2002, centered on six situational training exercise lanes. Each lane specialized in certain collective peacekeeping tasks.
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| U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh Mary Ann Peters arrives for the opening ceremony. |
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| Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia arrives for the opening ceremony. |
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| Indian Army Maj. A.K. Singh instructs the Sri Lankan platoon on techniques for searching a building. |
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| Uruguayan Army Lt. Col. Gaspar Barrabino (right), Mongolian Army Col. Gur Ragchaa (left), and U.S. Army Capt. Richard Moyers discuss details of the peacekeeping exercise. |
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Maj. Brian Hedrick, USA, was assigned to the U.S. Army, Pacific, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, when this was written. |
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