Bangladesh:Gunfight at BDR headquarters

[qsaark]

Perhaps they always had the option to resign, why take up arms against the state. If this kind of criminal act is not made an example next time more people will take up arms upon the non acceptance of their demands. How far do you think, things will go then. These are my 2 cents for what it is worth over the issue.

Perhaps because they had realised that their resignations wont change anything. They were already trying their level best to make their officers 'learn' their problems. The whole thing got loose after the DG failed to bring their problems in PM's notice. What choice they had? Anybody can snap under these circumstances, and to be honest with you, SHOULD SNAP so these things dont happen again. To be in the uniform doesn't mean no feelings for the pain and sufferings. I and you who have the luxury to debate on the Internet, obviously cant understand how these 'low income' people live their lives. Every day is a struggle for them. I do understand your point, BUT dont expect from empty stomachs to think like philosophers.

 

[idune]

33 BDR jawans held
Star Online Report

The Army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) held 33 members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) from two different spots, a private television channel reports.

The BDR members were trying to flee, according to the report.

The Daily Star - Details News


They probably got scared at the sight of army tanks and tried to flee the HQ.
RAB got them.Channel 1 was reporting 42 BDR jawans.

These are not POW, these are our own blood saving us from enemy day and night. Hope Army, RAB realize that fact, otherwise people will not forgive them.

 

[leonblack08]

Perhaps because they had realised that their resignations wont change anything. They were already trying their level best to make their officers 'learn' their problems. The whole thing got loose after the DG failed to bring their problems in PM's notice. What choice they had? Anybody can snap under these circumstances, and to be honest with you, SHOULD SNAP so these things dont happen again. To be in the uniform doesn't mean no feelings for the pain and sufferings. I and you who have the luxury to debate on the Internet, obviously cant understand how these 'low income' people live their lives. Every day is a struggle for them. I do undersatand your point, BUT dont expect from empty stomachs to think like philosophers.

They get 5000TK which is very low,even normal security guards earn better than this in some places.
They also get only 60% ration compared to Army's 100%.
According to mutineers,they started the mutiny when the DG shot dead one Jawan at the spot when they were asking about their share of money from Operation Daal-Vaat for which they toiled so hard.

But still this action of theirs is unacceptable.Because civilians were also killed.What was their fault?nothing.

 

[IceCold]

Perhaps because they had realised that their resignations wont change anything. They were already trying their level best to make their officers 'learn' their problems. The whole thing got loose after the DG failed to bring their problems in PM's notice. What choice they had? Anybody can snap under these circumstances, and to be honest with you, SHOULD SNAP so these things dont happen again. To be in the uniform doesn't mean no feelings for the pain and sufferings. I and you who have the luxury to debate on the Internet, obviously cant understand how these 'low income' people live their lives. Every day is a struggle for them. I do understand your point, BUT dont expect from empty stomachs to think like philosophers.

Ohh please! When one joins army, he/she accepts the reality that this journey is going to be a bumpy ride and not a white collar air conditioned job from 9 to 5 with a decent salary and and a over time . Being an army man requires much more then this. It requires sacrifices, as for the luxury, not really, you see you maybe but definitely not me, my family has served the Pakistan army and the time i am talking about is 65, 71, what do you think we had, people made sacrifices, the reason why we are so proud of them.
The people that they have murdered, specially the families, what was their crime, why had they payed the price for a crime that they never committed? Who is going to be responsible for their loss? So if they snapped as you may want to call it, i would say that the BD government should make sure that next time before someone thinks of snapping, he/she has to think twice.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Latest stats are -

9 army officers killed, 16 have been freed and 137 missing.

 

[leonblack08]

Latest stats are -

9 army officers killed, 16 have been freed and 137 missing.

Most of those missing are probably dead and who knows their bodies are dumped or burnt.

 

[qsaark]

But still this action of theirs is unacceptable.Because civilians were also killed.What was their fault?nothing.

Allright, but what other option they had to bring their problems into the notice of the higher ups. I am sure these protesters (I would not call them mutineers) had done every 'peaceful' thing before picking up the arms. If BD was like a western country, where human rights are respected, I am positive what happened would never had happened in the first place. I hold the military and the Government as much infact more responsible for the whole thing than the Jawans. It IS the duty of the Government to provide a certain level of income to every single citizen so they could live their lives with relative ease if not in luxury.

 

[qsaark]

It requires sacrifices, as for the luxury, not really, you see you maybe but definitely not me, my family has served the Pakistan army and the time i am talking about is 65, 71, what do you think we had, people made sacrifices, the reason why we are so proud of them.

Why all the sacrifices are expected from the lower rank Jawans? I also happen to have several family members in Army. My real Uncle retired as a Brigadier. I have always felt disgusting when their batmans used to bath their dogs and polish their shoes and do their dirty laundry. These Jawans had not joined Army to do this dirty work. They joined Army to defend their country. But, well, I dont want to de-track this thread. All I am saying is, the JCOs and NCOs are as much human beings as much I and you are. Under extreme and unbearable circumstances human beings do snap. What is good and what is bad, this is a point of view that varies from person to person surviving under different circumstances.

 

[leonblack08]

Allright, but what other option they had to bring their problems into the notice of the higher ups. I am sure these protesters (I would not call them mutineers) had done every 'peaceful' thing before picking up the arms. If BD was like a western country, where human rights are respected, I am positive what happened would never had happened in the first place. I hold the military and the Government as much infact more responsible for the whole thing than the Jawans. It IS the duty if the Government to provide a certain level of income to every single citizen so they could live their lives with relative ease if not in luxury.

Whatever you are saying are right too.

I might sound like two faced serpent or whatever but your version is quite right.Day before yesterday they wanted to talk to PM but they were not allowed to talk by these corrupted officers.These BDR jawans can communicate through their DG,but when DG himself is corrupt,what else can you expect?
They protested before but peacefully and didnt get much attention.So I guess that's why they chose to take up arms.

I must say,from my personal experience,that some family members of these corrupt Army officers misuse their power.Despite being corrupted,they survived anti-corruption drive.They literally "LOOT" things and get away.But remind you these are only the corrupt ones.I am sure Pakistan has its share of corrupts too.Natural when a country is run by military.They frequently misbehaves with lower ranked Jawans of BDR and Who knows may be of army too.These are unacceptable.

These BDR jawasns often had their ranks stripped of and demoted by the "superior" army officers.This is the worst treatment a soldier can get.

What could be the alternative to this?

They could gather in thousands and block Prime minsters office,and go for Hunger strike.That would get them the attention they needed.

But unfortunately,their hatred and willingness to take revenge won over every thing.May be they were instigated to do so,and we shall know who were behind it in due time.Was it foreign hand or opportunists within BDR,we shall know in due time.

 

[z9-ec]

I agree with IceCold here.

We are not talking about blue-collar jobs here. Every individual that decides to join the Army or any other service is bound to undergo several hardships, it is a part of their training to accept harsh realities when confronted by an enemy. After all they are volunteers, they willingly join the service to serve the nation and not for money.

Although, I agree that the state is responsible for the well being and day-to-day needs of their families but that is by no means a reason to act in this manner against the state you have volunteered to serve in the first place. They could have peacefully protested.

 

[idune]

It is very apparent now that BDR grievances was issue but was not the root behind the mutiny. Rather these grievances were used to organize BDR jawans against their officers. Real and root of the mutiny was instigation by external interest deployed two tactics. One use grievances to organize and push BDR jawans against their officers. Two, use a selective group to create maximum damage to BDR, its image and ultimately draw army to revenge. Two tactics but instigator has sole goal in mind - destroy BDR and weaken army, its image and ultimately weaken Bangladesh defense.

Next task as I see to find out precisely what happened and how and who were behind it. I doubt we would know much on that. But for sake of the country

BDR grievances should be addressed ASAP.

For interim bring some old officers who had good records to command BDR.

Train and promote talented BDR jawans for commanding position.

Create new BMA style institution or create a branch in BMA to train BDR officers from ground. These officers would not go to army.

thats just start....

For army there are lots cleaning to do, starting with Moeen U and his gang

This govt has their work cut out for them.....

 

[SurvivoR]

Analysis:


A Mutiny in Bangladesh A mutiny took place in Dhaka today. The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), the paramilitary border guards, mutinied against the Army, who they say discriminate against the paramilitary forces. The statement, made by an unnamed BDR officer to BBC Bengali Service, said that the BDR has nothing against the government and they expect that the government will be humane. The latest reports indicate that the Prime Minister, along with her cabinet colleagues, met the representatives of the mutineers, and offered a general amnesty to mutineers in exchange of laying down of arms and release of the officers held hostage. Dhaka had a tense day - with visible military action on the streets, general panic and fear that this will snowball into something more sinister. Hopefully, it won't get there and normalcy will be restored soon. However, in my mind, this mutiny indicates how difficult it is to govern Bangladesh now and how urgent is the need for action to restore the faith in democracy and fair governance.

It is interesting to note that a general amnesty of mutineers is being offered. This is an extremely difficult decision and possibly made with short term considerations. This breaks down the gold standard of discipline in the armed forces and politicizes its operations. It also sets a precedence, both inside the forces and in the eyes of general public, and this is where the danger lies. Bangladesh has a history of coups, and an amnesty for the mutineers is indeed a dangerous thing in the context. It is almost besides the point that this mutiny was against the army. One can not mutiny against the army - it breaks the law of the land, so by implication, it is against the government.. If an unit takes its commanders hostage, it becomes un-commandable, and therefore, useless. But, in the context of Bangladesh, such a story has an interesting sub-plot. It is almost as if the mutineers are addressing their grievances from the period before the last election - when the army ran the country. It is 'revenge' when things have changed and the army has relinquished power. On the same note, the army is unlikely to take this generously. The army took the power a couple of years back and recently handed it back to a democratically elected government, but they will be less than willing to cooperate if this new government undermines their position in the society. And, that's exactly what the government may end up doing by being soft on the mutineers. By design or default, this will undermine the authority of the army overall, and let people on the street laugh at them.

I spoke to friends in Bangladesh today and they assured me that the situation is well under control. They saw little chances of a snowballing of this incident. However, that's because there still seems to be some faith in the newly elected government. If the same incident happened before the election, it would have had explosive consequences. If the government does not deliver on the promises and meet the high expectation bestowed on them, a similar incident some months later will destabilize the country and undermine the balance in the region.
So, it is imperative that the government delivers, soon. The general economic climate is getting worse. The gloom in Dubai will hit Bangladeshis hard - several of them will return home and many of them will not be able to go. The most dangerous moment in the history of Bangladesh is now - when hope may dwindle and faith may fail. It is in everyone's interest in the region not to let that happen. The mutiny has been a wake up call - let us not sleep any more.

Sunday Posts: A Mutiny in Bangladesh

 

[SurvivoR]

The BDR Revolt and Role of Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies


Dr. Abdul Momen



Today’s revolt in the BDR HQ in Dhaka is an eye-opener. Due to revolt, reportedly 50 lives were lost. Many civilian also died owing to stray bullets. Whatever the causes of the revolt, it is a fact that there has been a serious lapse of intelligence failure and secondly the death of civilians, closure of schools and postponement of exam demands a serious debate on the merits of keeping headquarters of security forces or cantonments inside crowded localities of the nation’s capital.



In USA, the forefathers of its independence nearly 230 years ago decided not to allow heavy weapons within the borders of capital i. e. Washington D. C or the District of Columbia. However, it allowed individual citizen to bear arms for their self protection. In the case of Bangladesh given its history of coups and counter coups, it may be necessary to forbid heavy weapons within 50 miles radius of the capital city of Dhaka. The recent BDR revolt and especially killing of innocent civilians and bystanders once again reminded the Bangladeshi nationals to seriously discuss this issue of relocating both the Dhaka cantonment and the BDR HQ away from the city limit.



If the BDR Headquarters would have been outside Dhaka away from Pilkhana, an overcrowded area of civilian population surrounded by schools and shops, such casualties could be minimized. Therefore, it may be recommended to relocate BDR HQ away from capital city.



Similarly, there is hardly any rationale to have Army Cantonment within the capital city. This may be relocated 50 miles away from the capital city to a remote locality.. In that case, prime and expensive lands will be made available for growth and expansion of Dhaka city. Moreover, fear and tension of revolt within the cantonment causing disruption of normal life would be lessened.



In Dhaka, civilian vehicles are not allowed to go through the cantonment area and such is an additional cause for bumper-to-bumper hour-long traffic jams on the VIP road. If the Cantonment is relocated away from its current location, such horrendous traffic congestion could be lessened. Bangladesh Army is a part of Bangladesh society and it desires to improve quality of life of its countrymen. In spite of this, it is unfortunate that they have not opened up their roads to the general public yet on their own initiative. Since army fails to open them up on its own, it may be necessary to relocate Dhaka cantonment for the good of the nation.



The BDR Revolt that occurred following Prime Minister’s trip to the BDR HQ is mind boggling. If this would happened during Prime Minister’s visit, it could have created a national crisis. Naturally, serious questions could be raised as regards the efficiency of the Bangladesh intelligence agencies. According to many, the focus of the Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies both the DGFI and the NSI have been basically pivots around finding and codifying information regarding civilian opinion leaders and political leadership. The rationale for secretly recording phone, fax and mobile calls of politicians, journalists, opinion leaders and talk-show participants in Bangladesh in addition to lawyers and businessmen has been designed with a view to collect information about civilian activities. Even their everyday activities and mobility are being watched in the name of nation’s interest.



Unfortunately, such appears to be uncommon in the area of security forces. No wonder, Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies miserably failed in protecting its founder President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or founder of the BNP party, General Ziaur Rahman. It even failed to provide intelligence information regarding the terrorist bombing attack of a public rally of Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 in which 23 people were killed including the wife of current President of Bangladesh, Zillur Rahman and nearly 370 were wounded or maimed for life. It failed to provide intelligence information regarding grenade attacks on the former Finance Minister ASM Kibria or on British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury. It also failed to furnish intelligence information regarding jehadi bombings in 493 towns and cities of Bangladesh simultaneously.



In fact, the performance record of Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies till to-date is very poor. It gets an F grade. The recent BDR revolt is a case in point



Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies are mostly headed by military personnel unlike industrialized countries. Most of the heads of the DGFI and the NSI in Bangladesh have been active duty military officials. In contrast, most of the heads of U. S. and the British Intelligence Agencies, for example, FBI, CIA, or MI5 (British) are non-military personnel.



The current FBI Director is Robert Mueller. He has been a lawyer. The current CIA Chief is Leon Panetta, a former congressman and a head of a Public Policy Institute at the California University. He was formerly Chief of Staff of President Clinton.



If we investigate the personal history of the heads of FBI for the last quarter century, one will be surprised that most of the intelligence heads were lawyers or judges. For example, there has been a total of 7 FBI Directors from February 23, 1978 till to-date of which three were Acting Directors. All four Directors were lawyers/judges, and among the Acting Directors, two were career intelligence officers and one was an accountant. William Webster (1978-87), William Sessions (1987-93), Louis Freeh (1993-2001) and Robert Mueller (2001-current) were Directors and all of them were lawyers/judges. The Acting ones; John Otto (26/5/87-2/11/87) and Floyd Clarke (19/7/93-1/9/93) were special FBI agents, and Thomas Pickard (25/6/01-4/9/01) was a CPA.



Given the limitations, the performance record of FBI and the CIA that are mostly run by civilian authority is much superior to that our DGFI or the NSI which are mostly headed by active-duty military officials.



Take the case of the British Intelligence Agencies. The British Military Intelligence Section 5 known as MI-5 or its agencies like SIS, MI-6, QCHQ or DIS are again mostly headed by civilian officials unlike Bangladesh. For example, the current head of MI5 is Mr. Jonathan Evans, a career intelligence officer. Prior to him Baroness Manningham-Buller (2002-07), a former school teacher headed it for 5 years. During 2000-02, Sir Stephen Lander, a PhD in History was its head. Prior to him, Dame Stella Rimington (1992-96), a diplomat’s wife headed the British intelligence organization. It may surprise Bangladeshi military leaders that a well known football player, Sir Patrick Walker headed MI-5 from 1988 through 1991.



There is no denying that the Intelligence Agencies of USA and UK are superior to that of Bangladesh. Admittedly they have more resources and superior information technology vis-à-vis Bangladesh. However, they have also more restrictions as they have to work within many legal limitations and restrictions unlike Bangladesh. Instead of this, their performance record is superior.

This raises a valid question. Should we stop appointing active-duty military personnel in the intelligence agencies that mainly focus their attention on political or civil leaderships? Instead should we follow that of the USA and UK for the greater interest of the country?



It is a fact that in Bangladesh, two of its Presidents were assassinated not by their political supporters or by any public citizen. They were assassinated by members of active-duty security forces. It is unfortunate, and it looks odd when in the name of security, a head of the government for example, Sheikh Hasina is kept at a distance from public thus denying her from mingling with her electorates in Bangladesh. This was true in the case of Khaleda Zia as well. In addition, it looks odd when security personnel stand next to the head of the government in all public events. This custom must be done away with to improve nation’s image both home and abroad. Remember, such practice is not common in civilized countries like USA, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland and the like.



Remember, their heads of governments in no way, less exposed to security risk. The custom in USA is that once a person is allowed to enter the premises through checking, he/she is allowed to meet the President freely. The security forces stay at a distance unlike Bangladesh. The way the Bangladeshi security forces behave is deplorable. They literally keep the Prime Minister away from the public. It is a disgrace in the name of security. When the Prime Minister is surrounded by security officers overlooking her shoulder, it lowers our image in the free world. Such basically shows that the political leadership of Bangladesh is still under military subjugation or control in spite of a free, fair, transparent and credible election. Under such aggressive security guardianship, it can neither improve its image nor can attract increasing FDI.



· Abdul Momen is a professor of economics and business in Boston, USA
----------------

I do not agree with him. What is opinion of our BD friends here ?

 

[TopCat]

Bangladesh is a country where people like rebeller. I was surprised to see the people are clapping their hands and showing solidarity with some idiot BDR soldiers. What a shame to the nation and to our armed forces. Our bright top officers are wiped out and they even did not know how much damage they did to the nation. I am quite unhappy the way our govt or Hasina handled the whole situation. Before even the know the facts, she declared amnesty. All she want to do, is to run the country only by the women!!!! She sent her home minister Shahara yesterday, and I dont think she even know what she was doing. Today she she sent Motia her maderick, and the soldier did not even talk to her.
I want, those unruly soldiers need to be brought to their knees. Army needs to take over the barack and bring those to justice who were involved in the whole mess.. NO amnest or any crap like that...

 

[idune]

The BDR Revolt and Role of Bangladesh Intelligence Agencies


Dr. Abdul Momen
Abdul Momen is a professor of economics and business in Boston, USA
----------------

I do not agree with him. What is opinion of our BD friends here ?

While I found first analysis a measured one, second one mostly seems grotesquely misplaced in timing and context. But let me give you some background about Dr. Momen, he is one of the die hard Awami League follower. He is anti army and defense institution who tend to line with Indian view that Bangladesh do not need strong army or defense. He has track record of involvement in anti Bangladesh activities including campaign against Bangladesh in US congress.