Peter Haas meets families of enforced disappearance victims

Staff Reporter :
Families of the victims of enforced disappearance share their experiences with US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The families said that several dozens of ruling party supporters gathered in front of the house of Mayer Daak founders in Tejgaon area in Dhaka during the meeting and that they were frightened due to presence of the people during their experience sharing. “Several dozens of people gathered in front of our house and we were compelled to cut short the programme,”  
 said Sanjida Islam Tulee.
Tulee is the co-founder of Mayer Daak, a platform of the families of those who have been victim of enforce disappearance, and sister of Sajedul Islam Sumon, former general secretary of Dhaka City Ward No. 38 (now Ward No. 25) of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who went missing from Basundhara Residential Area in Dhaka on December 4, 2013. His family claims that he was picked up by the personnel of a law enforcing agency.
The US ambassador went to Sumon’s residence at Shaheenbagh in Dhaka at about 9:05am on Wednesday and stayed there for half an hour.
The families of the victims of enforced disappearance were gathered there from earlier and they shared their painful experiences with the US ambassador about their near and dear ones who went missing after they were allegedly picked up by law enforcers.
The US Ambassador inquired about condition of families of the victims of enforced disappearances, sources said.
Lisa Johnson, an official of the Bangladesh Desk at the US State Department, was present at that time.
Meanwhile, hearing the news of Peter Haas’s visit, leaders and activists of ruling party and a group of people under the banner of ‘Mayer Kanna’ gathered in front of Sajedul Islam’s house. ‘Mayer Kanna’ is a platform of the families of the army and air force members, who were sacked, jailed and hanged following the 2 October 1977 abortive coup.
Tulee told the media that a police team led by Tajgaon police station officer-in-charge (OC) Apurba Hasan visited our house on Tuesday and Wednesday on the occasion of Peter Haas’ visit. But, local leaders and activists of Awami League and people from Mayer Kanna had taken position on streets in front of our house 40 minutes before the US envoy arrived.”
“When the envoy was getting into his car after leaving our home, those people tried to speak to him. At one stage, there was chaos. Later, Peter Haas got into his car with the help of police members who were deployed for his security,” she added.
Besides, US ambassador Peter Haas held an urgent meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday noon following the Shaheenbagh incident.