We have not yet had to contend in Bangladesh with a return of such extremists here but we should be prepared for it. More broadly, as the US State Department’s “Country Reports on Terrorism 2014” published earlier this year noted: “Bangladesh’s criminal justice system is in the process of fully implementing the Antiterrorism Act of 2009 (ATA) as amended in 2012 and 2013. Although Bangladesh’s ATA does not outlaw recruitment and travel in furtherance of terrorism, the broad language of the ATA provides several mechanisms by which Bangladesh can implement UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2178, which requires nations to address the foreign terrorist fighter threat.”
An effective counter-terrorism strategy for Bangladesh also needs to maintain its focus on targeting financial flows that sustain terrorist activity as well as the cross-border movement of potential threats. Bangladesh is a member of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body.
The terrorist finance provisions of the ATA outlaw the provision, receipt, and collection of money, service, and material support where “there are reasonable grounds to believe that … the same has been used or may be used for any purpose by a terrorist entity.” The Act prohibits membership and support of prohibited organisations, ie organisations engaged or involved in terrorist activities.
The counter-terrorism strategy of the EU and UK both share common themes. The EU has four core focus points of “Prevent, Protect, Pursue, and Respond.” Prevent focuses on tackling the factors which lead to people turning to radicalism and enabled recruitment. It was noted by the US State Department that much more needs to be done in Bangladesh to tackle the spread of extremism, especially among the youth. “Protect” focuses on strengthening borders, transport, and critical infrastructure.
“Pursue” and “Respond” focus on investigating terrorism within a country’s borders, as well as internationally; disrupt support networks; cut off funding; bring terrorists to justice; deal with the aftermath of terrorist attacks.
In terms of “Prevent,” Bangladesh is already making a sustained effort to limit and counter the spread of radicalism and militancy. The US State Department Report noted that in 2014, Bangladesh became a board member and pilot country for the Global Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience, a public-private global fund to support local, grass-roots efforts to counter violent extremism. Bangladesh uses strategic communication to counter violent extremism, especially among the youth. Moreover, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the National Committee on Militancy Resistance and Prevention work with imams and religious scholars to build public awareness against terrorism.
In conclusion, the two murders of foreigners in Gulshan and Rangpur need to be investigated and the killers tracked down as a matter of urgency. In both cases, the individuals were committed to the development of Bangladesh. The case of Japanese citizen Mr Kunio, a man trying to bring more efficient practices to agriculture in rural Bangladesh and who even converted to Islam, is a particular travesty and morally reprehensible.
The events that happened in Bangladesh could have happened in many countries, not just in Asia but in the West. It does not reflect a lack of preparedness on our part in my view. Its shock impact on the foreign community is ironically a reflection of just how safe Bangladesh has been for foreigners versus other parts of the world.
Nonetheless, beyond these two specific human tragedies, these events serve as a wake up call for us to take counter-terrorism risks more seriously. Bangladesh has not had to contend with the types of terrorist attacks we have seen with the London bombings in 2005, the Mumbai attack of 2008 culminating in the hijacking of the Taj Hotel and, more recently, the Tunisia beach attack earlier this year.
But this is a clear and present danger for every country. Terrorism is a global phenomenon and hopefully a new counter-terrorism task force for Bangladesh will restore the confidence foreigners have in this country. Our reputation, and, I would argue, our future economic development, depend on it.
