Blithering Idiot

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Mash

In the aftermath of the BDR mutiny in Bangladesh that may have killed up to 170 people, Dean Nelson, the South Asia editor of the British newspaper Telegraph, thinks he has figured it out. He thinks himself clever because he has come up with a clever headline for his musings. He thinks that the Bangladesh government has lost its ability to rule because they “capitulated”. He says that Bangladesh has “lost its confidence”.

I have two words for this clown: Blithering Idiot.

You can go to the Telegraph website to read the tripe this clown has written. Here are a few excerpts:

When BDR rebels started shooting their army officers at their Dhaka HQ, the new prime minister Sheikh Hasina capitulated to their demands so quickly that it sent shockwaves around the region. Her apparent weakness raised fears that it might encourage the rebellion to spread.

Her desire to nip the revolt in the bud, even if it meant surrender, reveals a country which has lost its confidence.

It was not so long ago that Sheikh Hasina swaggered the country, persecuting her political rivals, mostly Khaleda Zia of the BNP, and then, in turn being persecuted by them.

…

Sheikh Hasina has been returned to power by the ballot-box, but she knows she is not the force she once was. The swagger has gone, and perhaps with it the ability to rule.

Really? Of all the lessons to draw from this tragedy, this is Nelson’s angle? Surely the Telegraph can do better than this prepackaged uninformed tripe. Blithering idiot.

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Death Toll Skyrocketing From Massacre In Dhaka

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Mash

Now that the BDR “mutiny” in Dhaka is over, bodies of those massacred are being found inside the BDR headquarters at Pilkhana. Other bodies have been discovered dumped into sewege drains. Many army and BDR officers remain missing and it is feared the death toll may rise to 170. The BBC reports:

Bangladeshi troops searching the site of a mutiny in Dhaka have uncovered a grave thought to hold the bodies of 58 officers killed by mutineers.

Scores of officers are missing feared dead at the huge border guard barracks where nearly 100 people are now known to have died in two days of unrest.

An army spokesman said all the bodies in the grave appeared to be officers’.

The authorities have arrested at least 200 suspected mutineers who reportedly rebelled over poor pay and conditions.

They were detained while trying to escape dressed in civilian clothes from the barracks of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), officials say.

After visiting the sprawling compound, a government minister declared that the men responsible for the deaths would not receive an amnesty, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina previously offered.

This is mass murder. Many questions are still unanswered. This does not appear to be a spontaneous uprising. A massacre of this scale requires planning and organization. We are likely to find out more gruesome details about what went on inside the BDR headquarters in the 33 hour killing spree.

It is a sad irony that BDR soldiers have carried out this massacre. On the night of March 25, 1971 it was BDR soldiers (then EPR) who became the first martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War when Pakistani soldiers massacred them by the hundreds at Pilkhana. It was the opening salvo of the 1971 genocide. Pilkhana is hallowed ground. These cold blooded murderers have defaced it.

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Breaking: Tanks Roll Toward Dhaka

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Mash

The Associated Press is reporting the following breaking news:

Local media say army tanks are rolling toward the Bangladeshi capital hours after the prime minister warned mutinous border guards to end their two-day rebellion.

The revolt by border guards angry over pay spread from the capital Thursday despite an agreement with the original band of mutineers to surrender. That agreement later appeared to founder.

Private television stations reported that several tanks had taken up positions near the compound seized by the guards Wednesday.

At least 10 people have been confirmed dead in Dhaka, but officials fear up to 50 people may have been killed there.

BBC also reports that heavy gunfire has resumed at BDR headquarters and the Prime Minister has warned of tough action:

Bangladesh’s prime minister has warned she will take tough action against mutinous border guards unless they surrender their weapons immediately.

“Do not force me to take tough actions or push my patience beyond tolerable limits,” Sheikh Hasina said.

A mutiny by the paramilitary troops in Dhaka on Wednesday has spread outside the capital, reports say.

Latest reports from Dhaka speak of at least 10 tanks moving towards the border guards’ headquarters.

In a televised address to the nation earlier on Thursday, the prime minister warned the mutineers: “Lay down your guns immediately and go back to barracks.”

…

However, heavy gunfire resumed on Thursday at the border guards’ barracks in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, where a small number of guards had begun surrendering their weapons.

Schools in the surrounding area have been closed for the day.

Mobile phone services have been suspended across the country, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said, in a bid to stop the rebellion spreading, although there is thought to be service in some parts of Dhaka.

The situation is escalating at a rapid pace. With tanks on the streets, further bloodshed seems assured.

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Day Of Uncertainty In Bangladesh

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Mash

With nearly 50 people feared dead, the gunbattle at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka has come to an end after the government carried out negotiations with some of the rebellious soldiers. But now BBC is reporting the following:

The mutiny by paramilitary troops in Bangladesh has spread to towns outside the capital, Dhaka, reports say.

The spread of the mutiny was being reported even as troops in Dhaka began laying down their arms, leaving their base and releasing hostages.

Nearly 50 people are feared dead in Bangladesh after border guards staged an armed mutiny on Wednesday.

The mutiny was said to be over pay conditions. The government has offered the troops a general amnesty.

The BBC’s Mark Dummett in Dhaka says that reports are coming in that the mutiny, which erupted without warning on Wednesday morning at the headquarters of Bangladesh border force in Dhaka, has spread to other towns in the country.

…

There are reports of incidents from at least eight districts across the country.

Our correspondent says that there are unconfirmed reports of gunfire in the main port city of Chittagong, at Feni, on the eastern border with India, in Rajshahi in the north west, and Sylhet in the north.

A man claiming to be a BDR soldier in Chittagong said they had opened fire to prevent regular army units from entering their camp, unconfirmed reports say.

Another report said similar incidents had occurred at Cox’s Bazaar and Feni.

In Khulna in the south, border guards have reportedly blocked a road, but no shooting has taken place.

The police chief in the north-eastern Moulivibazar district told the AFP news agency that the border guards were “firing indiscriminately”.

“Their commanding officer told me that he has fled the camp.”

There are no reports of any casualties in these reported incidents.

Apparently a number of army officers were killed by the BDR during the mutiny. The situation is still fluid and very dangerous. It is unclear how the army will respond, especially if the reports of the spreading mutiny are true. Whether the civilian government can maintain control over the army remains to be seen.

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BREAKING: Heavy Fighting Reported In Bangladesh

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Mash

There are reports that a gun battle is going in Dhaka at the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles.

BBC  reports:

A gun battle has broken out inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh border guards in the capital, Dhaka, police and TV reports say.

There are no reports of any casualties yet in the gunfight at the Bangladesh Rifle headquarters, officials say.

“There has been a huge exchange of gunfire at the headquarters. We have heard mortar fire,” local police chief Nabojit Khisa told the AFP news agency.

Mr Khisa said police were not being “allowed to enter” the complex.

The Bangladesh Rifles headquarters is located in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka.

I have a report from Dhaka that there are casualties, including senior officers. It is not clear yet if this is a coup attempt or who instigated the gunbattle.

Update 2/25/2009 12:51am: Report from Dhaka is that Army is taking control. Situation is fluid. This looks and smells like a coup attempt at this point.

Update 2/25/2009 12:57am: More information from CNN:

An intense gunbattle broke out Wednesday morning inside the headquarters of Bangladesh’s border security force in the capital, Dhaka, after several security personnel apparently staged a rebellion against the head of the force, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether the gunfire resulted in casualties, the country’s information ministry said.

The director general of the Bangladesh Rifles, Maj. Shakil Ahmed, was conducting a roll call inside the force’s headquarters when the gunfire began, the ministry said.

“It’s a serious, serious incident,” said Mohammed Sajjad Haider, spokesman for the ministry. “Some soldiers have decided to rebel. The gunfire coming from inside is so heavy that no one has been able to go inside.”

Several officers were trapped inside and their mobile phones were turned off, Haider said. “So it’s making it very difficult for us to get information on exactly what is going on right now.”

Update 2/25/2009 1:107am: Indian news outlet quotes Daily Star saying that artillery has been used and civilians have been injured:

Gunfights took place inside the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters here on Wednesday morning in which “scores of civilians were injured,” a media report said. The Daily Star reported on Wednesday that “artillery and rifles were also reportedly fired. Scores of civilians were injured in front of the BDR headquarters.”

Smoke billowed out of the BDR compound and a helicopter circled over the building, the report added.

The reason for the gunfight was not yet known.

2/25/2009 1:14am: This is being characterized as a “rebellion” of BDR junior officers. Army has deployed and may be surrounding BDR headquarters to try to quell the rebelion. Unconfirmed report that BDR chief has been injured. Lot of rumors flying and not enough facts at this point. Unheard Voice has some pictures of civilians fleeing the area.

2/25/2009 1:18am Associated Press news alert:

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — An official says authorities call out army to crush a mutiny by Bangladesh border guards.

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