Terrorism - Articles

Bangladesh: Of Terrorists, Gun Runners and Pirates

Over the last two years, Bangladesh government has attracted media attention due to the alleged presence of Islamic militant groups and the specter of ‘militant Islamization.’ Time magazine had noted that Bangladesh is a "hotbed of radical Islam". Reportedly, some 150 men belonging to Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan had entered Bangladesh in December 2001through Chittagong. They were seen carrying boxes of ammunition and AK-47 assault rifles. The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary rejected the Time article as baseless. Earlier, in April 2001, the Far Eastern Economic Review ran a cover story depicting Bangladesh as a 'cocoon of terror.'

The Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), a force of about 2000 men of Bangladesh, is closely linked with the al Qaeda. HuJI came into existence in 1992 and is believed to be an offshoot of a Pakistani group financially and ideologically supported by bin Laden. Western intelligence officials believe that one Fazlul Rahman signed bin Laden's 23 February 1998 declaration of holy war on the US on behalf of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh. Reports also suggest that several young Muslim radicals from Malaysia and Indonesia are present in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong and maintain contacts with local Muslim groups. The madrassas serve as meeting grounds for exporting terrorism. The presence of al Qaeda and now of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian Islamic militant group, trained in sea-borne guerrilla tactics has fueled fears that Bangladesh could become a haven for militants of all nations. Earlier, in November 2002, India's External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha charged that Pakistan ISI was active in Bangladesh, and that the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka had become a "nerve center� of activities inimical to Indian security.

Intelligence sources believe that more than two-dozen notorious local underworld gangs are engaged in gunrunning in the port city of Chittagong. The major groups are: BDR Selim, Habib Khan, Sunil Dey, Chandan Biswas, Abdul Kuddus alias Kana Kuddus, Mafizur Rahman Dulu, Shafiqul Islam Shafiq, Morshed Khan and Iqbal. They possess over 15,000 illegal arms, including AK-47, AK-56, G-3, M-16 rifles and large stocks of ammunition. Besides, there are several arms manufacturing workshops. Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar are a major transit point for arms smuggling.

The sea is the main route for illegal arms coming from various countries. The land borders also provide alternative routes. The LTTE gun trade route passes through the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Arms originating from Cambodia are loaded onto small fishing trawlers in the the southern Thai port of Ranong. These vessels then transfer the consignment to larger vessels for for onward passage to Sri Lanka. Small boats to Cox Bazar transport a part of the consignment. Several vessels engaged in gun running have been captured in the region. In 1996, the Bangladesh authorities seized 600 rifles from a fishing trawler originating in Thailand. In 1997, the Royal Thai Navy seized an arms shipment for the People’s Liberation Army (Manipur) following a chase in the Andaman Sea off the port of Ranong.

According to the International Chamber of Commerce Annual Report on Piracy at Sea, 2002, Bangladesh ranked second (32 incidents) in terms of attacks on ships. An analysis of incidents over the last eight years in Bangladesh show that at least 75 percent of the incidents were carried out in harbour/ port areas. Piracy is rampant in its seaports and has hit trade since mariners/ships are reluctant to use Chittagong and Mongla ports. This has forced foreign shipping companies to impose additional charges for discharging cargo in these ports resulting in higher costs for export and import of goods. These ports have been labeled ‘vulnerable and insecure’ by foreign ships. The Bangladesh authorities are conscious of this tarnished image of their ports but have not made any significant progress in containing this problem.

Some of the most serious pirate attacks have taken place in the territorial waters of Bangladesh. In one incident pirates attacked and killed 14 fishermen; the trawler carrying fish worth US $ 50,000 was hijacked. The survivors reported that the pirates were carrying automatic weapons and ordered the crew to jump overboard. In another incident, pirates attacked a fishing vessel off the coast of Pattakhali and threw 13-crew members overboard.

Bangladesh shares a riverine border with India. This makes transborder piracy easier. The hostages are often sent away with instructions to the families of others to arrange for ransom. The money-prisoners swap usually takes place on the Indian side at Canning, Dakghat or Jharkahali. Bangladesh ratified the 1988 UNCLOS III, but has yet to ratify the 1988 Rome Convention aimed at curbing piracy and armed robbery at sea. It has no agreement with India, its maritime neighbour, on anti piracy patrols.