Bangladesh government will allow access to Facebook and other messaging applications again once the ‘situation changes’, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has told Parliament.
Published : 19 Nov 2015, 08:56 PM
He said access to the popular social networking site and others apps had been barred for “security reasons”.
Facebook, Facebook Messenger, popular calling and messaging services such as WhatsApp and Viber were rendered inaccessible on Wednesday.
The blackout occurred minutes after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had rejected the review petitions of war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.
State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim, in defence of the government, had said it was done ‘in the interest of national security’.
Bangladeshi users also experienced an unprecedented 90-minute internet blackout around the same time.
“The temporary measure is for security reasons. They will be restored once the situation changes,” Kamal said on Thursday, without elaborating.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu at a separate programme said the shutdown was aimed at “preventing sabotage”.
A number of International Internet Gateways say they lack the technology to completely block access to these apps, which are now being accessed through proxy servers.
Telecoms regulators BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said in reply to a question that about 10 internet-based applications have remained shut since Wednesday.
“We’ve been able to block 90 percent access and are working to completely shut them down,” he told bdnews24.com on Thursday.
Kamal said the blocking of access to the social media was not uncommon in the world.
Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, among other countries, had blocked them in the past.
“Such measures are taken everywhere and we’re not an exception,” the home minister added.
In 2010, Bangladeshi authorities had briefly denied users access to Facebook because of "objectionable" materials posted about Prophet Mohammad and the country's political leaders.
'Preventing sabotage'
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said at a programme on Thursday the apps had been sealed to 'prevent sabotage'.
"It is very hard to prevent undercover attacks. Facebook Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp have been temporarily blocked, as they are being used for making inciting remarks, issuing death threats, and carrying out violent acts," he said.
He described the Jamaat-e-Islami as 'a party of militant monsters' and said people had 'rejected' their shutdown call.
Jamaat called the shutdown for Thursday in protest against the Supreme Court’s rejection of the petition of its Secretary General Mujahid seeking a review of his death sentence.
"They will have to be uprooted to save humankind," Inu said.
The Supreme Court also rejected ally BNP leader Chowdhury's plea for a review of his death sentence.
"Those who want to bring these monsters into politics will not be spared," Inu said, referring to Jamaat's closest ally the BNP.
The programme at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) was organised to give Best Reporting Award 2015
The minister handed over certificates, crests and cheques of Tk 50,000 to each of the 26 winners.
He said his ministry would institute awards for best reporters from the next year.
DRU President Shakhawat Hossain Badsha and General Secretary Ilias Hossain were present at the function.