Bangladesh army says it foiled coup in December

Bangladesh’s army foiled an attempt by former and serving officers to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government, a military spokesman said.


“Instigated by some non-resident Bangladeshis, some serving and retired officers with extreme religious views have tried to create disorder in the army,” Brigadier General Muhammad Masud Razzaq said in a statement yesterday. The conspiracy was a bid “to topple the system of democratic governance through the army,” Razzaq said.


Bangladesh, which has has had three major army coups and two dozen smaller rebellions since its independence from Pakistan in 1971, is aiming to boost growth to 8 percent in the next two years. Heightened concern over military intervention adds to the risk of political instability in the region, with the army and elected leadership in Pakistan locked in a showdown over coup allegations.


Bangladesh’s history of military intervention makes it “vulnerable to these coup attempts,” said Ataur Rahman, a political science professor at Dhaka University.


Still, “a coup with an Islamic militant orientation would be a surprise,” Rahman said in a telephone interview from the capital. While researching the officer corps, Rahman said he had “not found that Islamic militant views or socialization are widespread.


Impoverished Bangladesh has a history of coups, with army generals running the South Asian nation for 15 years until the end of 1990.


Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took power in early 2009 and has since faced threats from Islamist and other radical groups.


A revolt in the country's paramilitary forces in February 2009 started in Dhaka and spread to a dozen other cities, killing more than 70 people, including 51 army officers. The revolt was quelled after two days but the country has since been shadowed by fears of further uprisings.


Sources in the army said the coup attempt was made late last month. "The attempt has been effectively controlled and now the process is on to punish the culprits," one military official said.


Intelligence sources said the coup attempt was fuelled by a retired officer and associates in active service who were campaigning to introduce sharia law.


Intelligence officers also said it appeared to have been planned over weeks or months by officers having close links with what they described as religious fanatics within and outside the military.


One source said the outlawed Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir had sent out a leaflet to troops saying "mid-level officers of Bangladesh army are bringing down changes soon.