DHAKA, 16 April 2007 — Bangladesh authorities beefed up security at 66 prisons across the country to prevent any possible terror attack by militants of the outlawed Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB).
Security measures were taken after Haider Hossain, the public prosecutor in the judges’ killing case, was gunned down last week.
Haider had represented the government in the case that led to the hanging of six top JMB leaders late last month.
Gunmen shot Haider in the head when he came out of a mosque after offering prayers. He was on the hit list of the JMB that had killed two judges on Nov. 14, 2005.
The deputy inspector general of prisons of Dhaka division, Maj. Shamsul Haider Siddique, told newsmen in Dhaka yesterday that security had been stepped up in 66 jails, including 11 central jails, across the country to thwart any terror attacks.
A total of 106 members of the Prison Security Unit and 7,500 jail guards have been asked to remain alert, he said.
Senior officials of central and district jails have been directed to regularly visit the inmates and interact with them as frequently as possible to keep a tab on the situation.
Port Halts Night Sailings
Bangladesh has suspended night sailings from its main port of Chittagong after a ship sank in the main channel, hindering navigation, an official said yesterday.
The 136-foot (45-meter) long ship sank Saturday in the Karnaphuli Channel leading to the Bay of Bengal after colliding with another vessel, said senior port official Nazmul Alam.
“We had to suspend night navigation because the sunken ship could cause more accidents,” Alam said, adding that the restrictions would be lifted after the ship was salvaged.
Chittagong is Bangladesh’s biggest port and handles more than 90 percent of an annual 24 billion dollars in overseas trade.
