Bangladesh shares Kunming grief

Bangladesh’s Consulate General in Kunming has expressed “heartfelt condolences” over the terrorists attack in the provincial capital’s railway station that so far killed 33 people.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 2 March 2014, 02:03 PM
Updated : 2 March 2014, 02:03 PM

No Bangladeshi has been killed or injured in the deadly attack, the foreign ministry said in a media release.

It added that the Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office had already tightened security arrangements for the seven foreign Consulates General in Kunming, including that of Bangladesh.

“All nationals of Bangladesh residing in Yunnan have been advised by the Foreign Affairs Office to stay at their places of residence until further notice,” the foreign ministry said.

Scores of Bangladeshi students study in Yunnan educational institutions, especially medical colleges – some in Kunming itself and others in towns like Dali.

As China has tried to use Yunnan as its bridgehead province to develop relations with south and south-east Asian neighbours, businesspeople from Bangladesh and other neighbours of China started flocking to Kunming scouting for trade opportunities.

The Bangladesh Consulate General also advised its nationals including traders, visitors and students to remain at home or dormitory or hotel and “keep in continuous and close touch with the Mission”.

China on Sunday blamed Muslim militants from the restive far western region of Xinjiang for the deadly attack on Kunming railway station in the country's Yunnan province.

Four of those killed were part of the group of knife-wielding attackers who slashed mercilessly through the crowd of passengers and railway employee at peak-hour late on Saturday evening.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s Consul General Shahnaz Gaji had told bdnews24.com China Correspondent that the Foreign Affairs Office had confirmed that no Bangladeshi was killed or injured ‘or involved in any way’ with the incident.

She also condemned the attack.

President of Bangladesh Society in China Dewan Md Sazzad Hossain also cautioned all from Bangladesh to move carefully. He did not elaborate though.

Kunming had been peaceful since the twin bomb explosions in July 2008. Fourteen people had been injured in those explosions in two buses. It never became clear who were behind those bombings, though the suspicion fell on the Uighurs.

On Saturday, witnesses say, ten to twelve attackers stormed the station and started stabbing and hacking people indiscriminately.

They continued their attack up to the ticket counters.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said one assailant was captured and hunt was going on for the rest of the attackers.

Chinese President Xi Jin Ping has urged the law-enforcing agencies to investigate the attack and make an all-out effort to put the terrorists on trial.

Xi, who is also the head of China's National Security Commission, asked the law enforcers to crack down on all forms of terrorist activities, safeguard social stability and guarantee the safety of people's lives and property.

Xinhua and state television station CCTV said the attack was an act of ‘terrorist assault’ by an ethnic minority group from the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang autonomous region.