Bangladesh will be a safer country to visit in 2021 in countering invisible Covid 19, and security threat like militant elements, and turmoils of the minor political parties.
Compare to other densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh (being the highest densely) had less number of Covid 19 patients (number 29 in the list of worldometer as per statistics of this writing date). The question is why? It is because of H’ble PM Sheikh Hasina’s Govt’s rigid prevention plan in cooperation with UN agencies & INGOS. Not only this, Bangladeshi people are found more moderate in abiding by the Covid 19 guidelines. Furthermore, individual vanguard’s initiatives also kept contribution in Corona virus prevention. Therefore, in this epidemic prone world, Bangladesh is a safer country to visit in 2021. However, you should not forget the minimum requirements and awareness kits to follow during your visit in 2021.
On the other hand, in controlling other infectious disease like dengue fever, hepatitis, and malaria among her populace, Bangladesh has shown a remarkable progress in the success of improving public health situation.
Now, let’s talk about the evident threat. While many parts of the world were being sick and horrified by the ISIL threat, and Bangladesh was not out of the danger. And indeed, she was attacked by the so-called recognized outfits of the ISIL (a successful attack at Holy Artisan Bakery) in 2016, and also, in 2017, Dhaka RAB (Rapid Action Battalion, an elite force in the country) camp suicide bombing took place, and another failed attempt of the militant group known as “South Surma Upazila Bombings” occurred in the same year. Against another failed attempt to frustrate law enforcement officials in Dhaka in 2019, police defused two recovered crude bombs from two spots at Farmgate and Paltan areas in Dhaka.
What is significant to point out is that right after the 2016 attack, Bangladesh Law Enforcement’s anti-militant units were reshuffled, and strengthened, more new units were opened, and other co-working elite forces like RAB and SWAT’s (The Special Weapons And Tactics) joint operational structure were created. Honorable PM Hasina’s government gave specific importance to uprooting terrorism from her land. It has been so amazing when we saw how well was the combined efforts of the law enforcement agencies and how wonderfully hard-working were they! especially the anti-militant units! So many successful raids on the hideouts of the so-called factions of ISIL were operated by the security officials of Bangladesh in 2016 and the efforts continued to the next years (for example Operation Eagle Hunt in Chapainawabganj in 2017, “Operation Hit Back” in Moulvibazar in 2017). Altogether, after the holy artisan crisis, 18 anti-militant operations were triggered were at least 63 militants died in firing or committed suicides by setting off explosives, and over 150 were arrested. After all, there were all-encompassing supports from the countrywide locals.
Attribution: Ahnaf Saber, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Therefore, it must be retold where the populace stand by the government to secure the country’s protection in terms of safety and security, then, foreigners are welcome to visit in 2021.
Regarding political or religious protests, it needs to be said that it will be on a general level like other developing countries in the world. In other words, it is highly likely that some non-political religious groups such as Hefazat-e-Islami or some smaller political party like JSD or a new party of youth BSRC may take to the streets on a national historic day or after Friday prayers. However, their activities will be limited to certain places in Dhaka city such as Press Club, Paltan, TSC crossroad in Dhaka University area or Shahbagh Square. If I am asked to raise the maximum threat alert level at such events, I will go for the yellow level at all. Again, through this, I want to give the green light to Bangladesh Travel in 2021. However, if someone gets into trouble due to their own mistake or negligence, and does not maintain the minimum safety precautionary, that person must be responsible for his or her own consequences. And as far as I know, visitors from abroad always follow the minimum safety and security precautions during their travels.
– Written by Syed Tanvir Yousuf
