The United Kingdom government has warned travellers about possible terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and updated its travel advisory to reflect this caution.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) reviewed the ‘safety and security’ section of its advisory for Bangladesh on Tuesday evening.
The update reinforces the existing advisory discouraging “all but essential travel” to Bangladesh.
“Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Bangladesh,” reads the updated FCDO travel advisory.
“Terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals, such as crowded areas, religious buildings, (and) political rallies. Some groups have targeted people who they consider to have views and lifestyles contrary to Islam,” the advisory goes on.
“There have been occasional attacks against minority religious communities and targeting police and security forces. These have included improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in major cities. The Bangladeshi authorities continue to work to disrupt planned attacks. Increases in security force presence and restrictions on movement may be put in place at short notice,” it adds.
Under the “political situation” section, the advice remains that the “situation remains volatile” in the country.
“Political rallies and demonstrations continue to take place. These can quickly turn violent leading to clashes with law enforcement. During demonstrations and strikes (‘hartals’), there can be arson, violence and vandalism in towns and cities across the country, which can result in fatalities. Attacks against property and public transport are possible,” it reads.
The FCDO advisory is a guidance on travel rather than a government-imposed regulation and could lead to travel insurance being invalidated if that advice is overlooked.
The update follows a series of parliamentary interventions by cross-party members of Parliament, raising concerns over recent attacks on the minority Hindu community there and the arrest of religious leaders in Bangladesh.
“We are aware of the statement of concern from the Indian government following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a well-known Hindu leader, on sedition charges. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) desk is closely monitoring those developments,” Catherine West, Minister for the Indo-Pacific told the House of Commons on Monday.
The minister said that she had been given assurances by the interim government in Bangladesh that support was available for minority communities during her visit to Bangladesh last month.