Kerry remembers gay rights activist Xulhaz, speaks of new challenges to US embassy colleagues in Dhaka

US Secretary of State John Kerry has met his colleagues at the embassy before leaving Dhaka and said this is a “complicated” world.

“It is different from anything I grew up in the Cold War in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s; still the Berlin Wall fell. That was simple compared to today,” he said.

“But now we have individuals, one person, who can decide to take on a nation, just by blowing themselves up. It doesn’t lead to anything.”

He remembered the murder of Xulhaz Mannan the former US embassy official and LGBT rights activist who was hacked to death by extremists earlier this year, and also the Jul 1 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery during the “meet and greet” at the chancery.

He told his Dhaka-based colleagues that they were “serving here in Bangladesh in a very exciting time, a time of transformation, a time of huge possibilities, and yes, a time of challenge”.

“But believe me, not many people get the opportunity to get up every day and go to work and make a difference in the lives of other people, and that’s what you’re doing.”

Xulhaz Mannan

Kerry said “sorry” for the short trip and said it was a trip that had been postponed a couple of times, and for that “I apologise profusely”.

The secretary of state arrived on Monday morning and met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, among other engagements.

He also spoke on US-Bangladesh relations before a select group of audience including Leader of the Opposition Raushon Ershad, former diplomats, members of the civil society, and journalists.

He said his visit would witness more cooperation between the countries in the field of fighting terrorism.

A former Bangladesh ambassador, Munshi Faiz Ahmed who attended the lecture, said the visit, though short, was “very fruitful”.

He said the secretary of state touched on the bilateral relations and how it could be strengthened further.

He said Kerry stressed on sharing information, technology and best practices to fight terrorism, and also on prevention aspects of engaging youths at the grassroots.

The secretary of state also spoke on good governance.

But Faiz Ahmed, who is also the chairperson of the government’s think-tank BIISS, believed the way of fighting terrorism might vary from country to country.

“In Bangladesh we have observed local political ideologies behind terrorism,” he said, adding that the Hasina government was already fighting the war against terror.