Home >> South Asia >> India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal  Email  Print Bangladesh: Anger may explode anytime Sunita Paul - 4/29/2008 Just few hours back, news from Bangladesh virtually rocked my heart. What is happening in the small South Asian neighbor, which reportedly is experiencing silent famine, power crisis, human rights violations and lack of governance for past several months due to either ego driven attitude of the military interim government or country's new policy of slipping towards anti American block.
According to the report, widely spread through a number of international news media, Bangladesh deployed troops at a dumping site near the country's main Chittagong port on Saturday to stop poor people from collecting rotten rice. Hundreds of hungry poor people thronged the dumping site as the Food Department started ditching some 500 tones of damaged rice on Friday.
Meanwhile, there is different news of sudden rise in tribal anger in country's Eastern part. According to report, rampaging Bengali settlers have razed seven tribal villages to the ground in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts region, the rights group Survival International said.
The group said the villages belonged to the Jumma tribal people who were attacked after the Bangladesh army began a new settlement program for non-tribal people in the Sajek area.
"Jumma villagers, including women and children, were beaten in the attack and their belongings looted," Survival said in a statement.
"One hundred houses were destroyed and the Jumma villagers have fled into the surrounding forests. Bengali setters were also injured," it said.
The incident was under investigation, the chairman of the Rangamati hill district council, Jagatjoyti Chakma, told reporters, adding that some settlers' homes were also burned.
Survival director Stephen Corry said the attacks were a "criminal human rights violation."
"Bangladesh continues to want the land but not the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Only international pressure can end this."
Abuses had escalated since the army-backed emergency government came to power in January 2007, Survival added.
The Bangladesh government in 1997 signed a peace accord with tribal people.
However, unrest in the area has continued with the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity tribal group demanding implementation of the December 1997 treaty which ended a two-decade uprising for autonomy.
In the peace pact, the government promised regional councils and a withdrawal of troops. Although councils were set up, the Samity is unhappy troops have not left the region.
While 70 military camps have been removed, hundreds more remain, security sources say.
Despite the peace pact, scores of people have been killed in clashes mainly between supporters and opponents of the agreement, who say it does not give sufficient autonomy.
The insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people over more than two decades, according to official figures.
Meanwhile, the entire country is experiencing worst ever power shortage, thus leaving most of the parts in dark during the hottest days in summer. People are getting annoyed increasingly and according to analysts any unwarranted situation may take place in Bangladesh any time. "People may explode against the present virtual martial law anytime", said a local political leader.
On the other hand, violation of human rights has possibly reached the last level of mercury since the independence of the country. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression is regularly abused. The military interim regime in Dhaka are using various tactics in putting different forms of pressures on print and electronic media, thus pushing the very existence of such institutions into uncertainty. It is reported that, due to adverse behavior of the government, some of the national dailies such as Daily Janakantha, Daily Amar Desh, Daily Dinkal, Daily Bhorer Kagoj etc., are in extreme vulnerable situation. Owner of Daily Janakantha, which was once the largest vernacular daily newspaper in Bangladesh, Mr. Atikullah Khan Masud is now in prison facing series of charges. It is learnt that several people were virtually forced to bring allegations against Mr. Masud as they had been threatened by security forces in doing so. Organizations like Reporters Sans Frontiers have issued statements demanding immediate release of Atikullah Khan. But, many of the legal experts in Dhaka are opining that cases brought against the owner of this newspaper are not false. "This man grew from a very dubious business just in few years. It was even reported that Indian intelligence agency had financial contributions behind establishments of Janakantha", the source said. On the other hand, some said, reason behind government anger on Masud is because his newspaper has been consistently opposing radical Islam.
Owner of Amar Desh, who was the political secretary to the former Prime Minister, is now in prison facing numerous corruption charges. Due to prolonged imprisonment of this man, journalists in Amar Desh are not getting their salary for past fifteen months. Moreover, the newspaper is suffering from various financial constraints. This group also owns two private television channel named RTV and NTV. Two months back, ownership of RTV was transferred to a group of business people, while a significant stake of its share remains with some unknown owners. There are rumors in Dhaka on such owning of share of RTV.
Daily Dinkal is the mouthpiece of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Son of former Prime Minister is the owner of this newspaper. Dinkal is also suffering from severe financial constraint since arrest of former PM's son Tareq Rahman several months back. Journalists in this newspaper too are not getting regular salary for months due to this crisis.
Another newspaper, established under the patronization of BNP-Islamist Coalition government, named Jai Jai Din was recently sold to a business conglomerate in Dhaka. Former owner of this daily, Shafiq Rehman, got huge amount of money and a very valuable piece of land in Dhaka because he had close relations with former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Rehman was one of the most influential figures in Bangladesh during BNP rule. BNP government violated all norms and rules in allocating the valuable piece of land to this newspaper, while a infamous business group named Bashundhara (owners of this company are already absconding) was instructed by the former Prime Minister to place a few million dollars behind this project.
Unseen censorship on press is very much in practice in Bangladesh. Some of the editors and owners of newspapers although are trying not to abide by such instructions, state machinery are doing everything possible to harass them through various means.
Meanwhile, some of the low caliber reporters in the capital are gradually becoming important by pretending to be 'contacts' of some of the intelligence agencies. There are several names floating in the press community, who are known to be either very confident persons of either General Moeen U Ahmed or some of the officials with DGFI (army intelligence agency). One crime reporter with three part name in a leading vernacular daily in Dhaka is openly declaring himself to be the friend of DGFI. In past one year, according to reports, by giving such identity, this reporter has turned into a millionaire from the status of pauper.
There is other side too. Taking the advantage of the present situation in Bangladesh, some newspapers are engaging in cashing huge amount of money from innocent people through blackmailing. Dainik Aporadh Kontho (Daily Crime Voice) is a newspaper, recently came into focal point in Dhaka. This newspaper has already acquired several bill boards in Dhaka city spending millions of Taka. According to allegations, comparatively tiny office of this daily newspaper is basically a blackmailing center. It is even rumored in Dhaka that some of the members of army intelligence and Anti Corruption Commission are behind this newspaper.
It is even alleged that law enforcing and intelligence agencies in the country are using some reporters and editors in exchange of handsome compensation either in propagating in favor of the military emergency government or even in collecting ransom from people through blackmailing. Commenting on the existing situation, a senior journalist said, "the present regime is in fact polluting the atmosphere of media in general. This is a very dangerous trend."
It is sad to observe that for past several months, there isn't any good news from Bangladesh. Such situation always reminds us all about any previous pre-mass revolt conditions in many nations. Unfortunately regime in Dhaka is taking a very deadly risk. Anger may explode anytime in Dhaka. Anytime!
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