I feel I know enough, not about life and the universe, but to assess the current security situation for foreigners in Bangladesh. At the least, from having lived here for several years, I should know about as much as I need to know.
The first point is that security for foreigners in Bangladesh has always been very good. It’s one of the country’s strengths. It’s easy to have confidence in the Bangladesh police and security services which, while criticised in other areas, do their absolute best to prevent foreigner insecurity. There is no doubt.
They are keenly aware of the particular consequences insecurity for foreigners can have on the country’s reputation, as mentioned by the Prime Minister, and, were it to continue over a longer period, for the economy as well. More than that, police are not exempt from the sense of hospitality and ‘looking after the guest attitude’ that pervades Bangladesh.
I know they are currently under enormous pressure from the government, an embarrassed public and international circles to quickly arrest the killers of Italian Cesare Tavella and Japanese Kunio Hoshi. I can also imagine that this must be an exceedingly difficult task, especially if the perpetrators are a small, independent group or groups, rather than anything directed from Syria, as the international media wishes to sensationalise. Still, for foreigners living in Bangladesh, it must be said that whether they are hit men, local or international militants is a minor issue compared to safety.
I am worried that under pressure police can scapegoat. I hope this does not happen. In this regard, there are important differences between the Bangladeshi public and, at the least, westerners. While in Bangladesh crime solving is taken as a given, investigation deadlines are oft prescribed and people will generally attribute any failure to quickly solve a crime to corruption or negligence; in western countries there are many unsolved crimes. Western publics expect law enforcers to do their best but they also appreciate that some crimes may not be solved for decades, and in others, offenders will never face justice. Such outcomes regularly apply to murder cases.
In that sense, at least in theory, foreigners are likely to be more patient in waiting and hoping for arrests. However, a strong counter argument is that most do not have to live here; it’s a choice and security is an important aspect of that choice. Indeed, before Cesare Tavella’s murder, security was a drawcard.
To some degree, deliberately, I know few other foreigners here, mostly because life is busy with local friends. But of the few I do have contact with, I know they are scared. Who wouldn’t be? One was mentioning a friend who left for a holiday after the first murder, precisely what Bangladeshi friends have suggested for me. Others already out of the country are likely to delay return plans.
Of course it is easy to theorise that terrorist-style killings can happen anywhere in the world, that nowhere is entirely safe; and that Bangladesh remains even now safer than many – including western – countries. Besides, many foreigners here have lived through hartal seasons with street cocktails and petrol bombs thrown. We are used to unsettling periods.
Unfortunately however, this time it’s different. During previous days of uncertainty, it was much easier to manage risk. Most obviously, one could avoid buses or travelling about by car on hartal days, arguably with most westerners better able to control their schedules than many locals who were forced to attend office or drive a truck in order to feed their families.
The two murders are each significant: the first in the supposed securest zone for foreigners and the second in a semi-rural setting in Rangpur, a district that’s hardly renowned for being particularly violent. During hartal periods, Dhaka often has better security than district towns, for example, but also, staying in a village, if not moving about, can be considered reasonably safe. Neither holds true this time.
More significantly, foreigners are the targets: an absolutely new development. Risk management says that this is particularly concerning because the number of foreigners in Bangladesh is relatively low, with less presence than in many comparable countries. We stand out. With foreigners set to leave, as many will if they can, hopefully temporarily, the statistics only worsen for those who stay. Moreover, with many foreigners staying off the streets, for those who move about the risk is greater still. Assurances of security protection by police are welcome but will surely not convince everybody.
Besides, as Bangladeshis know from hartals, living cautiously soon eats into life quality.
Nonetheless, I assume along with most foreigners who know Bangladesh, I would like to thank the police and other security agencies for their diligent efforts. For many years foreigners in this country have been able to move about freely with very little security concern. We know you are trying your best to solve these murders and return Bangladesh to the very hospitable and safe country that we are used to.
The writer is an English instructor and feature writer at The Daily Star.
Source: The Daily Star
Valid points. However, a more valid question needs to be answered before raising hopes about this sad development in Bangladesh. Who were behind these killings?
It is widely discussed that our neighbour (following the killing two foreigners), may have successfully revived the ‘jongi’ phobia to further suppress the opposition and perpetuate Hasina’s grip on power (this was quite visible in follow-up articles in Indian media and comment of the Indian Consular at Rajshahi that killing of one or two foreigners will not scare Indians).
By scaring foreigners away from Bangladesh Indian interest groups might also be successful in weakening the economy and making the economy increasingly dependent on them which is their long cherished dream.
However, my questions are:
1. Will the Western countries and Japan (and China) condone this state of mind of our neighbour at the cost of their interests and the lives of their people?
2. Wouldn’t their intelligence be able to find out who the killers were?
Based on the findings of the above questions, I have a feeling that instead of perpetuating Hasina’s grip on power, Hasina might be in further trouble and the country may head towards further chaos and anarchy. As a consequence of these, people of Bangladesh May reach a point where they will welcome even destruction – the same way they did during the 1971 war of liberation. Don’t we remember those moments where people became happy when a bridge or any other establishment was destroyed by the “Mukti Bahini”?
There are indications that this time Hasina may not be able to contain the situation. It may go from bad to worse and reach a finality. Coming days may be full of new developments.