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Bangladeshis condemn blasts

DUBAI - The small bomb blasts which rattled Dhaka and towns across Bangladesh on Wednesday killing one person and injured at least 42 others have raised concerns among the Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE.

Over 200,000 Bangladeshis who live in the UAE have condemned the blasts which went off almost simultaneously in various parts of the country on Wednesday. According to sources, the bombs were home-made and apparently designed to cause only limited damage. But, the blasts caused panic and massive traffic jams in a number of cities, as people fled for safety and rushed to schools to bring their children home.

A. Nooruddin, a salesman living in Dubai for 10 years, said he was shocked to learn about the series of blasts in Dhaka and other parts of the country.

'My family lives in Dhaka and I am concerned about their safety. What is happening to the world and some people who are behind such attacks. I do not connect the Dhaka blasts to the blasts that took place in London and Egypt last month, but the world community should get together and condemn such forces, irrespective of their religions and nationality,' Nooruddin said.

'My son is studying in Dhaka and the first thing that came to my mind was his safety since he must be on his way to college,' said Ali Ahsan, Regional Manager, Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

'As a Bangladeshi, living away from my near and dear ones, I cannot do much, but what happened today in Bangladesh is definitely not a good move and cannot support these things,' Ahsan said.

In his capacity of regional manager for Biman in Dubai, he said that flights will not be affected. 'We have 18 flights weekly to and from Dubai to Dhaka and so far there is no change in the schedule due to the blasts in Bangladesh,' he disclosed.

Mohammed Alam, another Bangladeshi expatriate in Sharjah, said even though no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, 'it could be the banned Islamic group, the Jumatul Mujahedin that wants to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh. Such fundamentalists should be punished,' he said, adding: 'Until the government takes strict action against such groups, Bangladesh could be faced with further crisis.'

Kamrul Ahsan, Bangladeshi Consul-General in Dubai, however, advised his countrymen in the UAE not to be scared. 'Although, the motive behind such blasts is still not clear, we should no fear, because the situation in Dhaka and other towns is not volatile.

These were hand-made bombs and their impact is not much. So far, no reports on heavy casualties is reported from Dhaka,' said the consul-general, adding that he was constantly monitoring the Bangladeshi news channels for latest update on the blast. He said no official update was received from the headquarters on Wednesday. 'Remain calm and do not panic,' he said.