Contents
1. Abstract
2. Terrorism in Bangladesh
3. Terrorism in south-western region
4. Terrorism in Southern Region
5. Terrorism in Northern Region
6. Terrorism
in the Bay of Bengal
7. Causes
of terrorism
8. Why terrorism increase in Bangladesh.
9. Terrorism
and Bomb Attacks
10. Terrorist activity in April
in 2012
11. Terrorism and the Divisive Polity of
Bangladesh
12. Recommendation.
13. Conclusion
Abstract:
“The
unlawful use of force or violence against a person or property to threaten or
compel government, the civilian population, or any segment there, in
furtherance of political and social objectives”.
(Federal bureau of Investigation, USA)
The nature of risks and
vulnerabilities posed by terrorism in Bangladesh has become a serious threat to
national security today. In the last two decades militant groups have
manifested their presence by violent acts of terrorism in Bangladesh. Religious
assassinations, political violence and bombings at public places of festivities
and entertainment and worship have stunned the country. Terrorism has become an
increasing threat to life, the economy and political and religious pluralism in
Bangladesh. For the religious terrorist groups terrorism has become a means of
establishing Islamic order in the society. For the extremist political groups
terrorism is a weapon to gain political control of the polity; and for the
mainstream political parties terrorism has become a tool for political
competition either to gain or to retain political power.
Terrorism in Bangladesh
There are three
regions these are south-western region, southern region, and northern region
etc. Thousands of people are victim of the terrorist activity.
Terrorism in south-western region
The region
includes Khulna, Bagehat, Satkhira, Jessore, Norail, Magura, Jhenidha, Khustia,
Choudanga and Meherpur districts. This region is virtually ruled by the
terrorists of different extremist underground political parties. They are
communist party of Purba Bangla, Revolutionary Communist party, New Revolutionary
communist party, Sarbahara party of Purba Bangla, Sarbahara party, People’s
force, People’s liberation force, Sarbhara Party(Deben group), Sonar bangla (Laltu
group), Bangladesh Socialist party. They have more than 4 thousand armed
cadres. There are another 2 thousand cadres of the regular and lawful political
parties. Furthermore, 3 thousand cadres control smuggling and buying and
selling of arms in the border area. They have thousand of associates.
In recent years
the law and order situation have become worst in 2011. In this year more than 5
hundred people were killed in 10 districts of Khulna division. Proper steps
were not taken to dispose of very sensational cases promptly. During Operation
Clean Heart, terrorist were not arrested or fire arms were not rescued. As a
result, tension came down among the people regarding the election of Union
Parishad after the withdrawal of army. Police and another sources confirmed
that 488 people were killed in 2010 in 10 districts of Khulna division. 66
people sustained unnatural death. Police is not sure whether those were killing
or unnatural death. Another 225 people sustained unnatural death for various
reasons and 14 people committed suicide. At least 27 women and children were
raped and killed. 163 women and girls were raped, 152 were abducted. In 2010,
92 people were killed in Jessore, 78 people in Khulna, 64 in Khustia, 56 in Jhenidha,
48 in chaudanga, 47 in Bagerhat, 44 in Satkhira, 21 in Magura, 21 in Norail, 17
in Meherpur district.
South-western region
has become free land of terrorism and terrorist. All types of terrorist
activity are frequently committed here. People have no right to their life,
liberty and security, anytime anybody may be kidnapped, raped and killed.
People have no security here. Crores of people of this region are hostage of
the terrorist activities of 5-10 thousand terrorist of underground parties,
regular parties and smugglers.
Terrorism in Southern Region:
Though the
numbers of women and children repression and rape have increased, but the
numbers of killing, robbery, acid throwing were decreasing in the southern
region of Bangladesh. According to one statistics, the numbers of crimes were
decreasing in 6 districts of Barisal division. In 2010, 7 thousand 556 crimes
were committed in this 6 districts. In 2011, the frequencies of committal were
7 thousand 4 hundred and 90. In 2011, the numbers of crimes decreased to 6 thousand
6 hundred 97. But the rate of women and children repression in the southern region
rose up. In 2010 there happened 481 incidents of women and children repression
in 6 districts of Barisal division, in 2011, the incidents increased to 840,
and in 2011, it became 1113. In 2009, 207 women were raped; in 2010 the numbers
were 219 and in 2011, increased to 239.
Terrorism in Northern Region:
In the northern
region of Bangladesh, the activities of the prohibited underground extremist
parties were very limited till mid of 1990s. In the face of combing operation
in the south-western and southern districts, the extremists took shelter in
different place of Pabna, Nowgaon, Rajshahi, Ishardi, Faridpur and Sirajgonj.
These places have become free-land of extremist terrorist from the late of
1990s. They killed people’s representatives, police, raped women and looted
arms from police stations. The whole northern area became a terrorized area.
More than 100 people including 6 policemen were killed by the extremist. They
looted 40 fire arms from different police stations. Along with creating terror
among the people, they also panic in police officer’s and constables. Police started
operation when the situation went out of control. But they were not successful
in arresting terrorists. To avoid arrest many of them went to India and some
hided in secret places.
Police cannot
ensure security of the villagers. They are gradually losing their faith on
police. Killing, robbery, kidnap, extortion, rape have become regular
phenomenon of northern area.
Terrorism in the Bay of Bengal
Organized
criminals start their terrorist activities in the Bay of Bengal at the
beginning of the season of fishing. They attack on the fisherman and snatch
their net, fish, money, fuel, even fishing boats. They injure fisherman and throw
them into the deep sea. They take the boat under their custody and extract
money from the owner and return the boat to him.
On the other
hand a large number of trollers of Myanmar, India, and Thailand have illegally
entered into the Exclusive Economic Zone of Bangladesh and catch and those fish
into their countries. The Exclusive Economic Zone of Bangladesh extends from
Saint Martin Island to the Hiron point of Khulna, which covers an area of 1
lakh 44 thousand squires’ kilometers.
Armed pirates
are doing terrorist activities in huge areas of the Bay of Bengal. They have
established their own rule of terror from Cox’s Bazar of Chittagong to Mohipur
of Khulna.
Causes of terrorism:
Why do some
people commit act as terrorist? The causes of terrorism are a popular topic of
discussing but in fact there are two main causes of terrorism are always
present, A sense of perceived injustice and the belief that violence will
effectively readers it.
The phenomenon
causes of terrorism are given below:
Causes of terrorism are still political: Many political leaders supported
terrorists for their own greed. In Bangladesh terrorism being wider day by day
to stronger the power of political leader. So finally we can say that the
causes of terrorism in Bangladesh are still political less than religious.
Psychological causes of terrorism: It’s almost
impossible to identify the definite causes of terrorism. The psychological
causes of terrorism have been interest to research since 1970s. Some people do
act as terrorist their own sweet will. There don’t have any causes.
Psychological problem is another cause of terrorism.
Poverty: Poverty is
another causes major causes of terrorism. It appears to make sense those
poverty causes of terrorism who but someone in desperate circumstances world
chose to be a terrorist. But empirical evidence says otherwise.
Religious motivation: The rise of suicide attack among Islamic groups
such as Hamas and Al Queda has led many to question whether they are religious
motivated.
Terrorism from hopelessness:
Hopelessness is another main cause of terrorism. Terrorism is the last
destination of hopeless people, where don’t have little sense of hope then
terrorism have started. So parents should have helped child when feel hopeless
especially when disaster.
Why terrorism increase in Bangladesh:
In the election
of Pourasova in 2012, 1183 candidate wants to be nominated but 91 candidates is
the accused of murdered. [1]
In six month
1000 accused released political purpose. These cases reject by political will.
In the capital at the 15 days 22 people killed.[2]
76% cases
rejected political purpose. 90% accused person released. 70% cases police cases
abortive.[3]
An estimated
200,000 small arms exist in Bangladesh and at least 50,000 are in the hands of
organized criminals and their godfathers, it said. The report also said
possession of small arms by organized criminals claims death of four persons
and injuries to 10 every day. It said Bangladesh is experiencing probably
the worst impact of illegal trade and use of small arms, as it is evident from
sharp increase of violence in the country. [4]
Terrorism and Bomb Attacks:
In Bangladesh terrorists continue to adapt to defeat counter-measures and
exploit opportunities and weaknesses in the law enforcement agencies and
political society.
On
December 7, 2002, a series of near-simultaneous bomb blasts at four
Bangladeshi cinema halls packed with families celebrating the end of the
Ramadan Muslim fasting month killed 15 people and wounded nearly 300. The
targeted cinema halls were located in and around the normally quiet tourist
town of Mymenshingh, about 120 kms to the north of Dhaka.
Earlier,
in September, 2002, bombs wounded 30 people at a circus show and in a cinema
hall in southwestern Satkhira. At least 22 people were killed and
more than 100 injured in an explosion at a local office of the then ruling
Awami League in June 2001. At least nine people were killed and 50
injured in a bomb blast during an open-air concert in 2000.
Countrywide terrorist bomb attacks in August 2005, including the simultaneous
detonation of over 500 bombs in multiple regions by JMB (Jama'at-ul- Mujahideen
Bangladesh) demonstrated an ability to attack on a massive scale. It
demonstrated that terrorists operating in this country are developing new
methods of attack and improving the efficiency of existing ones, increasing the
pressure on Bangladesh's counter-terrorist agencies. As a result the agencies
are in a constant fight to stay one step ahead of the terrorists. It can be
concluded that the critical sectors in Bangladesh namely energy (power, and oil
and natural gas), transportation (airways, railways, roads, shipping, and
space), law enforcement (defense, police intelligence, and the judiciary), ICT
(networks and telecom), the financial sector (banking, trade and commerce,
financial instruments and insurance) and public health (medical care, water,
and sanitation) are becoming increasingly vulnerable to terrorist activities.
29th April 25 bombs burst in various place in Dhaka. BNP
called hartal for Elias’s concealed. 1st may in Dhaka various places
4 bombs burst.
Terrorist activity in April in 2012:
1st
April: In the division of Shylet a merchant killed by
terrorist. Mothapukur which situated in Rangpur a Madrassa Teacher killed in
the his Madrassa.[5]
2nd
April: In Gangni during the clash of BNP and Awamileague
leader 2 people are died and many people injured. Various places in the capital
2 people are murdered by terrorist.[6]
3rd April: In Narsingdi 6 robber
died.[7]
6th
April: In Rajshahi a terrorist killed a housewife. In
Magura during the collision with police 6 terrorist injured.[8]
7th
April: In Nijhum dip 3 fishermen badly injured.[9]
9th
April: In Doulatpur a college student murdered.[10]
11th
April: In Shariyatpur an Awami league leader killed by his
party’s men.[11]
12th
April: In Bogra a school student whose name is Naimur Rahman burnt by terrorist. He was a
student of Kahalo high school. In Mymonsingh a girl was murdered by unknown.[12]
15th
April: In Narsingdi Union Porisad Chairman named Abdur
Razzaq Sarkar murdered when he had gone his home.[13]
18th
April: In Meherpur a person killed by terrorist.[14]
19th
April: At the Gulshan in Dhaka a housewife named Fahima
Sultana murdered.[15]
20th
April: In Narayangonj two person killed by terrorist. At
the Chitolmari the time of clash two people murdered and more than 20 people
fall into very injurious.[16]
21st
April: In the shylet city two young person set fired in public
bus. One person killed by unknown terrorist.[17]
23rd
April: In Khulan the leader of Chatro Dal killed by
terrorist. A farmer in Mohashkhali killed by bullet.[18]
26th
April: In bogra a Shechchasebo league leader murdered by
terrorist. In Kurigram a child killed by someone.
30th
April: A young boy killed in Rajshahi. When terrorist
killing him the police was quite but they don’t try to prevent this matter.[19]
Terrorism and the Divisive Polity of Bangladesh
The way a section
of the press, politicians and intellectuals have been trying to prove the
involvement of the ruling coalition, India, Pakistan, CIA, Maoist insurgents
and others in the bombing is not going to help Bangladesh in the short- and
long-run at all.
It is very
disappointing that instead of uniting to weed out terror from Bangladesh, our
politicians, journalists and intellectuals both within and outside the country
have not yet shown the maturity, civility and decency to condemn terrorism with
objectivity, integrity and honesty. They, instead, have been showing their
narrow, tribal/peasant rusticity and bias in explaining the attacks with a view
to gaining some political leverage. They have unfortunately failed to realize
that the reactionary forces behind these heinous attacks will be more than
happy to see whatever is left of liberal democratic, secular and patriotic
forces in the country, constantly fighting among them instead of trying to find
out the real culprits.
The perpetual
polarization between the Awami League and BNP, and between the so-called
patriots and traitors, will only bring more disasters finally turning the
"dysfunctional" state into anarchy. It is high time that the civil
society comes out of their Awami-BNP cocoons to mobilize mass support against
terror, Khaleda-Hasina together, for the sake of the country. One may only
guess if and when the terrorists will again hit the divided polity. And the
next time leaders from the ruling party may fall prey to such attacks. So, both
the BNP and its "Islamic" allies should also stop the blaming game
with a view to fighting terror. Both the ruling coalition and the opposition
have the responsibility to find out the real terrorists and their motives.
Now, let us
evaluate what local and international "experts" and amateur analysts
have so far analysed about the Dhaka bombing of August 21. Their collective
analyses have so far identified six possible sources of terror in Bangladesh:
1) The
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islamiya; 2) A section of the ambitious military officers in
Bangladesh armed forces having extreme ideological commitment to "Islamic
fundamentalism"; 3) The underground Maoist rebels; 4) The RAW (Research
and Analysis Wing) of India; 5) The ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) of
Pakistan; 6) The ruling BNP-Islamist Coalition of Bangladesh.
None of the
analysts have given any thought over the economic and class dimensions of the
problem. Another aspect of terror is its positive correlation with the anger
and frustration of the perpetrators, who are motivated to terrorizing to
register their anger and hatred towards their perceived enemies. The analysts
so far have failed to identify these socio-economic and psychological
dimensions of terror. To them, the problem is simply a political/ideological
one. And this sort of analysis is the biggest problem towards understanding terror,
both global and regional.
The oversimplified
analyses, based on wild conjectures, subjectivity, prejudice and malice towards
political adversaries, are problematic and unhelpful towards our understanding
of the problem. The over-politicization of the attacks-both by the ruling and
opposition parties- will not bring rich dividends but disaster for Bangladesh.
The one-point
programme of the Awami League, to remove the BNP and Khaleda Zia from power, in
the wake of the bombing is further divisive and would only benefit the
terrorists. A divisive and sharply polarized polity would be the ideal breeding
ground for more terror.
Now, to turn to
the various theorists as to who were involved in the attacks, the most
acceptable theory is that some shadowy Islamist group might have been involved
in the attacks. However, one cannot be that precise about which group of
"Islamic" terrorists are behind such attacks. It is difficult to
accept some Indian analysts' version of the story that some Jamaat-i-Islami
leaders in Bangladesh having links with Al-Qaeda and/or some Rohingya or
Assamese-Meghalaya Muslim separatist groups, said to have strong commitment to
"Brihot" or greater Bangladesh, have been terrorizing Bangladesh.
This group of terrorists, according to the theory, were trained and armed by
Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Chittagong Hill Tracts. The groups, known as
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islamiya, having 15,000 trained guerrillas, have links with
Jamaat-i-Islami of Bangladesh, so goes the story.
Only extremely
immoderate and politically biased people would point finger at the ruling
coalition for the attacks on Sheikh Hasina. While the BNP-led coalition has two
more years to rule (ruling parties have all the due and undue privileges, and
opportunities in countries like Bangladesh), why on earth it would jeopardise
its own immediate future by physically eliminating the leader of the opposition
is beyond reason. The death of Hasina would have signalled the death of Awami
League as a party as there are no acceptable successors to the matriarch
(similar is the situation in BNP), but Hasina's violent death would have also
brought a mass upsurge, big enough to topple the BNP governemnt.
As India card is
not worth playing here to link RAW or some other agencies with the terrorist
attacks in Bangladesh, only die-hard fanatics and amateurs would suspect
Pakistan to be the culprit in this regard. As India has absolutely nothing to
gain by destroying the Awami League (widely known as "pro-Indian"),
Pakistan hardly bothers about Bangladesh and its internal problems as Pakistan
has so many of its own.
In sum, as there
is no easy answer to the question as to who bombed the Awami League rally to
kill Sheikh Hasina, there is no easy solution to the problem of terrorism in
Bangladesh and elsewhere. There are global as well as regional/local problems,
grave enough to germinate terrorist cells and groups. Only the rule of law and
equal-distribution of wealth and opportunities under a relatively corruption
free system can ensure stability and peace. Terrorism is not a disease but a
symptom while corruption and misrule are manifestations of the virus, which
breeds terrorism.
Recommendation
a) Preventing terrorism by
blocking the process of radicalization of individuals and groups
The first principle
to make an effective counter terrorism strategy requires the elements that
facilitate the process of radicalization of individuals or groups in
Bangladesh. A Counter-terrorism strategy to prevent radicalization must include
a addressing conditions conducive to exploitation by terrorists to create or
increase their power base.
To prevent
radicalization vis-à-vis terrorism, the following strategies need to be
undertaken:
·
Radicalization of
individuals or groups needs to be tackled by addressing structural problems in national,
regional and international levels that may contribute to radicalization. This
includes the issues of: inequality, discrimination, youth unemployment,
modernization of all streams of education, and reform in democratic and electoral
institutions to bring back confidence to the secular and progressive political
system.
·
The leaders of
the terrorist groups generally use religiously indoctrinated fanatics who seek
an early entry into Paradise, and/or who seek large financial side payments to
their families, as compensation for engaging in acts of self-destruction for
terrorism. Deterring leaders who facilitate terrorism and encourage others to
become terrorists is essential.
·
Essential tools
in preventing radicalization in Bangladesh are a public-private partnership and
political consensus.
·
To prevent
radicalization it is important to establish the causes and to address them.
Radicalization often stems from grievances, a sense of injustice, alienation,
exclusion or lack of opportunity.
·
A great asset in
Bangladesh's fight against terrorism is that. But this aversion needs to be
converted into active resistance through awareness campaigns and enlightened
religious education in public places including worship places.
b) Pursue Terrorists,
Sponsors of Terrorism, and Providers of Sanctuary to the Terrorists:
Once identified
terrorists need to be pursued within Bangladesh and across borders to deny
sponsorship, support and sanctuary that enable them to exist, gain strength,
train, plan, and execute their attacks. This will disrupt
support networks, cutting off funding and access to attack materials, eventually
bringing terrorists to justice. The strategy to deny sponsorship, support, and
sanctuary is three-fold:
Reforming, legislation, restructuring
and modernizing the infrastructure, seeking regional and international
Cooperation.
The following measures need to be implemented
under the “Pursue” strand of the strategy:
·
The
intelligence and law enforcement agencies need, map their command and control
and support infrastructure, and then ensure the broad, but appropriate,
distribution of the intelligence to all the state agencies as well as to our
regional neighbors.
·
Reforming
legislation:
Taking
action to thwart terrorist attacks and to bring terrorists to justice through
prosecution is essential. This includes strengthening the legal framework
against terrorism, such as enacting the draft anti-terrorism Act, updating the
anti money laundering Act, strengthening the financial intelligence unit,
augmenting the capacity of Bangladesh Bank, and ensuring NGO accountability.
·
Restructuring
and modernizing the infrastructure: Restructuring and
modernizing the anti-terrorism agencies should be seen as a continuously
evolving process. This involves restructuring of organizational jurisdiction,
the improvement of efficiency of human resources, technical capacities and the
modernization of intelligence gathering techniques and gadgets. The task
requires adequate funds from the state.
·
Introduce a NGO accountability system
regarding NGO's financial disclosure and auditing systems.
·
Sign extradition treaties with the
neighbouring countries to curtail cross-border movements of the terrorists' and
deny them shelters internationally. In this regard, regional and international
measures aimed at in the fight against terrorism should be initiated.
c) Protecting the Public,
Key National Infrastructure, and National Interests:
Protection of
human lives and properties, reduction of vulnerabilities to national
infrastructures and key installations, and above all, the preservation of
national interests from domestic and external threats are critical factors in
combating terrorism in Bangladesh. The Third strand of this strategy is,
therefore, aimed to address the vulnerability of Bangladesh's interests. This
covers a range of issues including:
·
The
physical protection of Bangladesh, its, as well as the protection of its
democratic principles is a critical issue in Bangladesh's counter-terrorism
efforts. In a world which is becoming increasingly interconnected and
technologically inter-linked Bangladesh must be prepared to defend its interests.
Through continuous law enforcement and strategic pursuit of terrorist
organizations, and by expanding physical protection and awareness, the
vulnerability of Bangladesh's people, critical infrastructure, and other
interests can be reduced.
·
The
intelligence and law enforcement agencies in conjunction with the government
service agencies and private sector service/utility providers need to conduct
regular reviews and assessments of threats to utility services, transport and
industrial infrastructures, installations, natural resources and public health,
and to develop plans that address the security of these areas.
·
Modernization
of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies is essential in terms of human
resources, equipment and technical competence. Institutional measures and
adequate funding should be guaranteed for these agencies.
·
Cross-border
cooperation on an inter-state level with India and Myanmar should be
instigated. This can be done by signing and extradition treaties with these
countries.
·
Measures
to improve the security of transport, including the adoption of a Port Security
Directive, and the initiative to improve security at airports are essential.
d) Preparing for the Consequences and Ensuring an
Integrated Incident Management Capability low: medium: high: extreme:
In the end, the mitigation of catastrophic terrorism is dependent upon the people preparing themselves for the impact of terrorism. The fourth and final strand of this strategy is concerned with guaranteeing that Bangladesh is as ready as possible for the consequences of a terrorist attack. It requires solid planning, preparation and immediate response to the acts of terrorism.
In the end, the mitigation of catastrophic terrorism is dependent upon the people preparing themselves for the impact of terrorism. The fourth and final strand of this strategy is concerned with guaranteeing that Bangladesh is as ready as possible for the consequences of a terrorist attack. It requires solid planning, preparation and immediate response to the acts of terrorism.
Principle factors in
this strand are as follows:
·
An effective, integrated response to
terrorism requires incident management planning, enhanced interoperability, and
coordination, based on and supported by rapid and effective decision-making. A
committee or group empowered to take rapid action should be formed to
coordinate the response.
·
Given the vast range of potential
terrorist attack scenarios, each orchestrating a wide range of potential
consequences, it is neither practical nor prudent to plan for every scenario.
Instead, planning seeks to produce generic plans of action that are flexible
enough to cater to any terrorist situation.
·
Information on any precautionary
activities should be brought into public attention. Information dissemination
and protection measures should be transmitted in a clear, comprehensible and
precise manner to ensure that public and media inquiries are catered for with
adequacy.
·
Military assets and capabilities need to
be identified which could support coordinated disaster response efforts. The
assets include strategic transport (air/sea), tactical transport (helicopters),
medical units, field hospitals and logistics.
·
Multinational exercises to test the
readiness for crisis management should be held each year. Lessons learned
should be analyzed and adopted to improve crisis management.
Conclusion:
Terrorism is not new even it’s not get by inheritance. People are a
terrorist in the circumstance. So the govt. should take proper measure to
prevent terrorism which describe before. Only govt. can’t able to control
terrorism, people must be joint with
govt. to implement the taken steps. That is why preemption is being considered
to be so important. In some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a
conflict without the advocacy realizing the nature of the threat. Using
terrorism for criminal activity. Because of these characteristics, terrorism
has become increasingly common along those pursuing extreme goals throughout
the world. But despite its popularity terrorism can be nebulous concept. Even
within the USA government, Agencies responsible for different function in the
ongoing fight against terrorism use different definition.
[1]
Prothomo Alo d. 12/01/2012
[2]
Prothomo Alo d. 15/01/2012
[4]
Animesh Roul; Publication:
Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 22
[5]
Dainik Ittefaq.
[6] Dainik Prothom Alo.
[7]
www.bd-news24.com
[8]
Dainik Jugantor
[9]
Dainik Ittefaq
[10]
Dainik Ittefaq
[11]
Dainik Prothom Alo.
[12]
www.bd-news24.com
[13]
www.bd-news24.com
[14]
Dainik Ittefaq
[15]
Dainik Prothom Alo
[16]
Dainik Ittefaq
[17]
www.prothomalo.com
[18]
Dainik Ittefaq
[19]
Dainik Ittefaq
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