As we all know, the politics of Bangladesh are never far from Tower Hamlets and it was interesting to interview the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday. I spoke to her for about 35 minutes at her hotel, the Renaissance in St Pancras, where she has been staying for a few days for engagements at Buckingham Palace and at the Olympic Stadium on Friday to cheer on the country’s five-strong Olympic team.
We covered a wide range of topics (including why the team only had five members: she blamed the “failed policies” of the previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party government) and I will publish an edited transcript of the full interview in a separate post soon.
But here’s the news piece I wrote for today’s Sunday Express here. Sheikh Hasina, whose niece Tulip Siddiq is a Labour cabinet member at Camden Council (and who is tipped as a future MP), also gave an interview to the BBC News channel’s Hardtalk, which will air tomorrow night.
THE Prime Minister of Bangladesh has warned of possible terrorist connections among the thousands of Muslim refugees trying to enter her country from neighbouring Burma.
Sheikh Hasina said in an interview with the Sunday Express that her government had passed on concerns about a number of unidentified “incidents” to the authorities in Burma where there have been clashes between Buddhists and Muslims.
The recent fighting, which has seen dozens killed, has been taking place in the western Burmese state of Rakhine.
Thousands of Rohingyas, whom the UN describes as a persecuted Islamic minority group in Buddhist Burma, have tried to flee to Bangaldesh, a secular country of 160 million mainly Muslims.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government has been turning them away at the border, angering campaign groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty.
However, she told the Sunday Express that the international community should investigate why so many are fleeing.
She met Foreign Secretary William Hague earlier today to discuss the situation.
In her interview with the Sunday Express, she said she was concerned about the activities of Jamaat e Islami, an Islamic fundamentalist political party that has a powerbase near the border with Burma and which has previously been accused of terror links, allegations it denies.
She alleged: “Jamaat e Islami is very much involved in terrorist activity, there’s no doubt about it and everybody knows that.
“As for refugees, we have a large number trying to get into our country, which is already over-populated.
“How many can we take it? We don’t want any refugees coming to Bangladesh.
“The international community should try and find out why these refugees want to come.”
Asked if she was concerned that Jamaat e Islami might be encouraging some refugees, she said: “We have some intelligence reports about it.
“My government has talked to our ambassador in Myanmar (Burma) and they have informed them about some incidents and our intelligence people and law enforcement agencies are enquiring about it.
“We are trying to find out the reality.”
Sheikh Hasina, who attended Friday night’s Olympic opening ceremony, also praised Britain and Scotland Yard for helping in the fight against terrorism.
She came to power in 2008 after several years of rule by the military and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whom she accused of being soft on terror.
She said: “Our position is a zero-tolerance to terrorism. Many people were killed between 2001 and 2006 but since we formed our government we will not allow anybody to use our soil to launch any type of terrorist activity.”
“But once a previous government encouraged them or nursed them, you cannot stop them overnight.
“We have good relations especially with the British. We have a Joint Task Force on Counter Terrorism and they are training our people and that is really very helpful and I really appreciate that.”
She also thanked UK taxpayers for the £250million of foreign aid sent from Britain every year, cash she says is helping her vision to make Bangladesh a “middle income country” by 2021.
She already has a large-scale infrastructure improvement programme in the country and is also working with neighbouring Nepal, India and Bhutan about a massive tourism drive in the region.
She said: “We have the world’s longest naturally sandy beach (at Cox’s Bazar).
“We want to develop that with lots of beautiful tea gardens areas, so there is a very good possibility to develop this.”
In her meeting with Mr Hague today, the Rohingyas crisis was raised alongside other issues, including trade, migration co-operation and climate change.
Mr Hague said: “The strong roots between our two countries are reflected in our trade relationship where the UK is the largest cumulative investor in Bangladesh.
“I welcome our co-operation on a range of international issues not least climate change, where Bangladesh plays an important role.”
Trial by Jeory 
When speaking about refugees from Burma, the Bangladshi Prime Minister said “How many can we take it? We don’t want any refugees coming to Bangladesh.”
I wonder what the local Bangladeshi community would say if we said we don’t want any Bangladeshi refugess coming to the UK. Maybe Bangladesh would be happy to take back those who, while living here, clearly identify with Bangladesh as their ‘home’.
Tim
I am surprised by your logic (or lack of it). How you drew a comparison of refugee situation between this two countries? Where UK’s economy and population size stands as oppose to Bangladesh? When did the United Kingdom received refugees in masses in their own territory?
Also, why you not writing Aung Sung Sui Ki? Why Bangladesh and Bangladeshi prime minister take responsibility of these refugees when the right response would be to tell Myanmar government to handle this situation. You are doing trade with Myanmar, your prime minister visited Myanmar – you welcomes Aung Sung in your land not too long ago.
If you do not know a lot about the region that is fine. We can try to educate you. But if you know nothing about something that do not post a blog about it.
The government of Myanmar (the president) said out loud that these Rohingaas are not their citizen not if Bangladesh accept more (therre are half a million already in Bangladesh) than who would guarantee their return? You? Your government? UNCHR? If you dont have the solution of a problem then do not try to resolve it by asking somebody else to solve it. Sheikh Hasina is only responsible for her people. She and Dhaka has no business with Myanmar’s internal conflct.
“We have a large number trying to get into our country, which is already over-populated. How many can we take it? We don’t want any refugees coming to Bangladesh.”
That is so funny.
How that is funny?
I really appreciate that you took interest in Bangladesh politics [SOME CONTENT REMOVED] but did you ask about the former Law maker Ilias Ali’s disappearance? If so what did she say? I feel so bad for his children and his little daughter who was here last year same time going around places with Cllr Shiria, Ilias Ali’s family and 80 years mother are emotional, they received hope after hope from PM but he is still disappeared. They are also living in fear, hate and discomfort. As a journalist did you ask about the killing of Jounalist couple Sagor Runni? Did you ask about recent corruption allegation of Padma Bridge?
To Sheikh Hasina,
Our country is so much populated over200Million populations, No policy for birth rate. We have a lot of disaster; our people need food and shelters. If you can’t manage those problems, don’t blame to opposition parties and neighboring countries (India and Burma). Those refugees are our people, we have to talk care them by ourselves. They are homeless people. If you did not commit honestly, we are shameless people. They are beggar in outside and we are beggar in international communities.
Really? You speak for the country? You think this is how local feels? Lets Sunday Express do an opinion poll in Chittagong and ask local how they feel about refugees of Myanmar. And the international community will have the answer.
Britons need to understand that Bangladeshi community in UK are not refugees. They settled their through legal procedures and contributed immensely to boost British economy – just think of about 10,000 restaurants that they run. Drawing a simile between Bangladeshis living with legal status in UK and Rohingyas influx into an over-populated resource-constrained Bangladesh is bit unjust.
One must appreciate that while UN and other donors provide supports to Bangladesh to give refuge to only 29,000 Rohingyas, Bangladesh is in fact playing host to nearly half a million Rohingyas for years by spending its own taxpayers money. Only we the citizens of this poor country know how taxing its is for us.
Anyone outside can have the luxury of championing the cause of human rights but one should understand the ground reality here in Bangladesh.
“Jamaat e Islami is very much involved in terrorist activity, there’s no doubt about it and everybody knows that.”
why is this imbecile masquerading as a PM. ‘Everybody knows that” yes ok then if you say so prime minister.
Watch her pathetic Al Jazeera interview for further evidence of her childish retorts:
Tulip Siddqui and her Labour friends claim to be all about ‘social justice and welfare’. Rushanara Ali is even has a shadow international development brief. But these hypocrites happily defend fascist and anti development politics of the Awami League.
Leyland, We all know about this opportunist, they don’t believe in social justice nor they have any principle , in fact they are only for themselves, ordinary people whether they live in Tower Hamlets or in Camden they will stand against them.
@Leyland thank you very much for that video. Like her niece she’s blagged her way into office. It really is quite off putting, especially the smirking around human rights violations. I suggest Labour party councillors delete any facebook photographs they have with this woman (ahem).
Blagged? Sheikh Hasina got into power by blagging?
Are your sure you are HarveyMilk Jr. and not GolamAzam Jr? She was elected the leader of Awami league when the party was divided into various fractions. All top Awami leaders were killed by Military then. Hasina revived and reunited her party. Visited each and every corner of Bangladesh and finally succeeded in forming government in 1996. She is the only political leader in Bangladesh and perhaps in the world whose popularity went higher in every consecutive elections even when she lost election in 1991 and 2001. 1991 – 31 percent, 1996- 38 percent, 2001- 41 percent, 2008 – 56 percent.
She fought against military dictators, fought against terrorism. These dictators and terrorist groups tried to kill her 19 times! Sheikh Hasina is no ordinary politicians. She became the Prime Minister of her people by her own rights.
Ted, Pravda would be proud by your gentle treatment of Hasina. A case of ‘is there anything else, Prime Minister, you would like to say to our grateful nation?’ You say bugger all on the countless human rights abuses committed by Hasina’s government. You take her comments at face value, forgetting to mention that, like the hated Mubarak regime, Hasina accuses the puny and insignificant Jamaat-e-Islami (and their coalition partners the Bangladesh National Party) of all sorts of things in an effort to settle old scores and turn the country into a one-party state. So, like I said, well written Comrade Jeory.
Insignificant Jamaar E Islam? Really?
Found this while searching for the transcript of her HardTalk interview. I don’t know why the international media got on Bangladesh’s back so easily, while giving Suu Kyi a free pass of sorts! We are a *generally* a poor country and we’d be hard pressed to provide for these poor people. I sympathize with them, and I wish our government could do something for them, but they’ve cited deeper issues and political fears in that. The real issue on the international media should be – Why are these people being expelled so? Why can’t the big champions of democracy – UK, USA and France step in and make a strong stance.
As for the interview of Madam Hasina, I am sorry to see the issues of ‘law and order’ missing from them. Right now, we have a failing police force and a few other related force… its a common sight to see armed men in blue, green and black uniforms everywhere and yet, no one is safe. Even from these forces.
Also, the question of democracy with the parties. Really, just because we have elections, everyone is happy to call us one?
You see comparisons between Sheikh Hasina and Aung San Suu Kyi? Really? I guess they are both female and involved in politics … and any similarity ends there as far as I can tell.
Tim.
Hahahha… what is Suu Kyi’s stand on the refugee issue? Why cannot she stop the violence? Why is she not standing beside them?
Seriously dude- why diverting the issue to an utter nonsense.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/9430518/Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-facing-backlash-for-silence-on-abuses.html
She did waffle on a lot about democracy and freedom and helping the lesser fortunate went she was held up at her house all those years…. the hypocritical piece of…… I just realised I used a link to a story from The Telegraph….. I must be a hypocrite now too!!!!