The US expressed its concerns over reports of irregularities during the elections to the Gazipur and Khulna city corporations.
“The US remains concerned by reports of irregularities, including ballot box stuffing and intimidation of political players and polling agents both before and on the day of the vote,” Ambassador Marcia Bernicat said while meeting diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka on Thursday.
The voter turnout in local government polls is lower than that of previous year, which is also a reason for concern, she said describing it as a “troubling sign”.
“We are also concerned by reports of police harassment and arrests of opposition polling agents and politicians in the weeks leading up to the elections.”
The Bangladesh government is committed to hold free, fair and credible election, the US envoy said before adding: “We look to the government to fulfill this commitment.”
Assistance to fight drug menace
US ambassador Bernicat supported the ambition to fight against drug, but expressed concern over the number of extrajudicial killings that have accompanied the campaign.
In responding to a query, she said over 150 were killed in different anti-drug raids.
She admitted that drug traffickers may possess arms and resist being arrested, but there should be proper investigation if the deadly forces are used inappropriately.
“When deadly force is used inappropriately we expect that that the appropriate disciplinary action has been taken to use that deadly force,” she said.
Offering help she said, “I called on officials here and offered our assistance because again like terrorism, like human trafficking, these crime cross borders. We have information that we should share one another about those criminal activities.”
Terming drug dealing a transnational crime, she said, “We have to work together to overcome the fact that they work internationally, so that we do as well.”
She was of the view that it is completely inappropriate to focus on drug dealer at the lowest level.
“Every drug dealer who has been taken off the street, there are three more waiting to take their place or will be created getting someone addicted to drug,” she said.
The only way to effectively fight drug trafficking is to go after the king-pins she said adding, “It is disappointing that the king-pins are not targeted.”
It may be harder to do and it may be the charges that bring those to kingpins to justice are not drug trafficking, but again they are involved in multiple level and kinds of crime, she said.