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| Bangladesh |
| Travel alert for war criminals |
| 2010-03-29 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] The government has placed law enforcement and intelligence agencies on alert to prevent alleged war criminals from fleeing Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming war crimes trials. The alert came as alleged war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Kashem Ali went to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday using Hazrat Sahjalal International Airport. Sources said Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and Home Minister Sahara Khatun expressed their disappointment over the incident and directed authorities to investigate the matter. Questions are now being asked as to how Kashem managed not only to flee the country but to also use the airport's VIP lounge. The government has provided the authorities at international airports as well as land and seaports with a list of around 40 alleged war criminals along with their photographs. However some sources claim that authorities were not provided with specific information relating to Kashem and that he relied on his identity as the chairman of Diganto Television, rather than as a member of Jamaat's executive committee. A source told The Daily Star that National Security Intelligence (NSI) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have prepared separate lists of alleged war criminals, which have been approved by the home ministry and have also been distributed to air, land and sea ports. The home minister said the government will, if necessary, seek help from Interpol to track down the accused and identify war criminals now abroad. While talking to reporters attending an annual school sports programme in the capital, Sahara urged the public to cooperate with the newly formed war crimes tribunal by providing information about those who may have committed war crimes during the Liberation War of 1971. In the past Kashem played a key role in lobbying Saudi Arabia to promote the interests of Jamaat. He is also a director of Islami Bank and he was instrumental in setting up Saudi-based NGO Rabeta al-Islami. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Questions are now being asked as to how Kashem managed not only to flee the country but to also use the airport's VIP lounge. Frequent flier on al-Jawwiyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Saʿūdiyyah? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-03-29 08:14 |