Bangladesh’s government lavishes money on the army
But in buying soldiers’ loyalty, it has also put them at the heart of power
WHEN AL JAZEERA, a Qatari television network, accused Bangladesh’s army chief not only of helping to hide his two fugitive brothers, who are on the run from a murder conviction, but also of steering military procurement contracts their way, the Bangladeshi government did not investigate the allegations. It did not even bother to rebut the claims in detail—including the assertion by one of the fugitives that Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the prime minister, was aware of and happy with this arrangement. Instead, it simply dismissed the whole story as a “smear campaign”.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Wallets at the ready”
Asia February 13th 2021
- Myanmar’s generals face growing protests against their coup
- The obstacles to holding the Tokyo Olympics in July are daunting
- If America leaves Afghanistan there will be trouble
- Bangladesh’s government lavishes money on the army
- South Koreans are being driven mad by noisy neighbours
- A Zoom call sets off a diplomatic dust-up in the Pacific
From the February 13th 2021 edition
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