We hope the BCB and Cricket Australia will swiftly find new dates for the postponed tour by the Australian cricket team.
It is regrettable, but understandable, that this tour was postponed in the light of recent warnings issued by various governments to their citizens about possible terrorist attacks on Western interests in Bangladesh.
Because Cricket Australia has praised as “outstanding” the co-operation its security delegation received from the BCB and government, and South Africa and other cricket teams have toured Bangladesh this year without incident, their decision to postpone can only relate to the external warnings that have been issued this week.
It is absolutely imperative that the government works closely with other nations to share and act appropriately on the information they have available. All nations share a common interest in preventing terrorism and governments should act co-operatively to resist threats.
Should there be real-time intelligence of an impending attack, then it must be acted on immediately.
If the warnings received turn out to be broader and more vague, it is important for the government and other nations to make this clear in order to stop speculation and rumours spreading undue fear and uncertainty.
Either way, the overriding priority for the government is to reassure the public and foreign visitors.
The postponement of test matches affects everyone in the nation, not just sports fans. The BGMEA for instance has warned of the possibility of business visitors being deterred by the ongoing travel advisories.
We restate our view that a calm and measured approach is vital to implement sensible security precautions, as there is nothing to be gained by over-reacting to threats.
The government needs to ensure more pro-active security measures at airports and at large events to minimise threats to the public as well as acting to beef up security in diplomatic zones.
As we have noted previously, the UK government website issuing a travel advisory for Bangladesh contains a much more detailed listing for India, and while reporting a “high threat from terrorism throughout India,” also adds that “over 800,000 British nationals visit India every year. Most visits are trouble-free.”
It is with this type of focus on encouraging normality and discouraging panic, that the government should proceed, in using intelligence to keep the public safe.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
