End the media intimidation in Bangladesh

[This has been cross-posted in The Guardian's Comment Is Free section. You can access it, and see comments here.]

General Moeen U Ahmed, who led Bangladesh’s military coup in January and is widely seen to be pulling the strings of the interim government, stated on May 22^nd that he had no wish to enter politics formally, and did not intend to implement martial law. He also admitted to journalists that there had been cases of media intimidation, but called them an ‘aberration’, adding that “the government can learn from its mistakes, if there is any, from media criticism.” The paradox is that there isn’t strong media criticism because the military have blocked or banned it, so it would appear that they’re not making any mistakes. And so the State of Emergency continues, and we all remain none-the-wiser.

The cricket, the crowd, the ecstasy.

You can see pictures from this day here.

In 1999 at the peak of my cricket obsession I went with a friend down to Hove to watch India play South Africa in the World Cup. I remember travelling from Waterloo in a train full of Indians, Hove being full of Indians, who even offered us 500 quid per ticket, and the ground being awash with Indian flags and happy faces (until they lost). I thought I’d had a real taste of the South Asian passion for the game. But I realised on May 12th that Hove was just a pale imitation compared to the full-on feast of euphoria that greeted us when we went to the Mirpur stadium in Dhaka.

Kolkata and Dhaka – a tale of two cities

You can see some photos from Kolkata here 

Bangladesh in the heat almost clings to you, is impossible to wash off or escape from. So I can barely believe that it was a month ago now that Tom, Georgia and I made a little getaway to Kolkata for the weekend. It’s only about 150 miles away from Dhaka, was part of the same Empire until 60 years ago, and predominantly is made up of Bengali people – but it was like being in a different world.

Cricket Photos

I went on Sunday to watch Bangladesh take on India in a one-day international. It was without doubt the best day I’ve had in Bangladesh. I’ll write about it properly very soon, but here are the photos.

Berbatov – pornography in football boots.

Last Thursday I stayed up till 3am for the final time. On Sunday, I watched ‘Final Score’, for the final time. And I woke up this morning feeling empty and without purpose. The calender no longer has any important events on it. Just three long months with nothing.

The end of the football season always hits me hard, because it’s the end of a relationship, ten long months of constant stress and worry and arguments and moments of ecstasy and (especially for a Spurs fan) long periods of woeful depression. But it’s always there. You know that however terrible you feel, it all starts again from 3pm on Saturday. And you know that however fantastic you feel, make the most of it, because it ends at 2.59 on Saturday.

Bye bye to Yunus, and brave leadership in Bangladesh

[Cross-posted at The Guardian's Comment Is Free]

As Britain bids goodbye to Blair, and the sense of new political hope that he once symbolised, Bangladesh is also rapidly facing the reality that it has lost its chance of an alternative, fresh and progressive political leadership.

The awarding of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize to Dr Muhammed Yunus, confirmed his demi-god status in Bangladesh, and granted him incontestable moral authority. After the military coup on January 11^th a vacuum was created and the stage seemed set for him to save the nation by entering its political spotlight. By February 22^nd in an open letter, he announced his intention to form a party, ‘Nagorik Shakti’ (Citizen’s Power) in an open letter to the nation, and Bangladesh largely celebrated.

Yunus promised a politics that would “materialise the dream of the liberation war” and would offer a much-needed electoral alternative and clear path away from the democratic nightmare being fostered by the rule of the BNP and Awami League.

Tasneem Khalil arrested – UPDATED

UPDATE – Sunday 13th May 2007

Tasneem was released on Friday, 24hrs after being picked up in the night by the army.

At the moment, no-one seems to know why he was detained. Apparently it was not to do with his journalistic activities. His editor at The Daily Star, Mahfuz Anam has kept very quiet about the whole thing, and his paper has scarcely mentioned it, which totally goes against their Liberal credentials, ‘The People’s Right to Know’ etc…

This looks like it’s much more than just a ‘freedom of the press’ issue. When the dust settles and the facts are available over the speculation, I’ll write a bit more.

The army have really made a mistake this time. Just when their puppet leader Fakhruddin Ahmed has been making assurances not to limit the freedom of the press, last night a prominent investigative reporter, Tasneem Khalil was arrested and taken from his home. Already there is uproar

They picked on the wrong journalist, as Tasneem is also a consultant for Human Rights Watch and a news representative for CNN.

Here is the press release HRW have just issued:

Bangladesh: Release Journalist and Rights Activist

Army Arrests Tasneem Khalil of Human Rights Watch

(London, May 11, 2007) – Bangladesh’s military-backed care-taker government should immediately release Tasneem Khalil, an investigative journalist and part-time Human Rights Watch consultant, who was detained by security forces late last night, Human Rights Watch said today.

Khalil, 26, is a journalist for the Dhaka-based Daily Star newspaper who conducts research for Human Rights Watch. According to his wife, four men in plainclothes who identified themselves as from the “joint task force”came to the door after midnight on May 11 in Dhaka, demanding to take Khalil away. They said they were placing Khalil “under arrest” and taking him to the Sangsad Bhavan army camp, outside the parliament building in Dhaka.

Science fiction in Bangladesh?

I was flicking through the tv recently and came across a Bangladeshi science-fiction drama. This made me laugh out loud, partly because it was brilliantly cheap and the costumes looked like something from a Duran Duran video, but also because the idea of Bangladeshi science fiction itself is a bit absurd.

 Bangladesh does of course have big modern buildings, and investment from trans-national corporations, and offices with computers, internet and everything, but I’ve also been to villages where my digital watch is the most advanced thing there, and my digital watch is broken. I didn’t watch all of the show, but I could imagine them going off and encountering an alien planet where ‘oooohhh, look Rajesh, they have electricity 24 hours a day. This species is far advanced from our own. Where is their sewage network? It must be under the ground! Ooooohhhhh, super technology jah?’

It’s this juxtaposition of a world totally dependent on the latest international technology inhabiting the same geographical space as a world that doesn’t even have electricity that I find so staggering, constantly.

It’s not a heat wave, it’s a beating

I haven’t written very much recently, because it’s just been TOO hot.

I was expecting May to be a roaster, but this is apparently the hottest it’s been for thirty years, and it’s just close to intolerable. Around 40 degrees, blazing sunshine, nearly 100% humidity… which would be horrible anywhere, but in Bangladesh you have the added punishments of the open sewers fermenting away, so the air stinks even more than usual, and the fact that the country can’t power itself.

So even with fans, it just moves hot air around the room. But when the power goes off, all you can do is sit in the dark and feel sweat just pouring – not trickling, not running, but pouring down your body. I’ve had dryer showers.

So not only do you have to change your t-shirt three or four times a day, but my trousers/shorts/lunghi needs a change as well.

Just when I don’t need hot water, I have it from my shower for the first time, because the tank on the roof has got so hot.

It’s rained now once or twice since Monday, which is a brief respite, but it’s still horrible. And not like you can retreat with an ice-cold beer, which I would trade a finger for at the moment.

To top it off, my landlord has decided to take advantage and charge me an extra 2000 taka to use my air-conditioning unit, which I can’t afford because that’s almost a quarter of my salary. So the one thing that might offer some relief, I just have to stare at. That’s when the power’s on, of course. It’s hard work being here!

Terrorists strike again in Bangladesh

[Cross-posted in the Guardian's 'Comment Is Free' section here.] 

Two weeks ago, the Generals in control of Bangladesh were on the cusp on completing their coup through the ‘democracy minus-two’ plan, with the imminent exile of both previous Prime Ministers, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. This attempt to end their dynastic and allegedly hugely corrupt control over the country spectacularly backfired however, with the former leaders popular again, whilst the military-backed interim government has lost a huge amount of both international and domestic support and legitimacy. Then on Tuesday May 1st, three small bombs exploded in the three major cities, planted by ‘Jadid Al-Qaeda’. Political power and the responsibility that comes with it must now look far less attractive.

Before the electoral crisis erupted at the end of October last year, the rise of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh was raising the most international concern. Tuesday’s attacks have now reminded everyone that regardless of the current political posturing, outside of that arena another long-term threat to Bangladesh and the region is fermenting, and the people behind it have less interest in gaining power through the ballot box. The proliferation of jihadist groups willing to resort to terrorism must be addressed as soon as possible by
Bangladesh’s eventual democratic government.