Australia�s concern baseless: Home minister

�Security concerns� delay Aussie tour of Bangladesh

Tour prospect to be clear after CA?security chief�s meetings with local security agencies

Dismissing Australia’s security concerns, Bangladesh hopes that the Aussies will tour Bangladesh to play two Test matches. The prospect of the tour, however, will get a clearer picture after Australian team’s security manager Sean Carroll’s meetings with officials of the Bangladesh government, police and security agencies today. Australian players were scheduled to fly for Bangladesh this morning, but the departure has been postponed due to new security advice from the Australian government.“Our country is now secure and there is no scope for the emergence of any militant outfit. So, their report about a security concern in our country is groundless. There is no risk or security problem to local and international matches played in our country,” Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters in Dhaka yesterday. He also hoped that the tour will go on.  Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon said it is understood that the report of Australian team’s security manager Sean Carroll, who arrived in the country yesterday, would be pivotal for Cricket Australia (CA) to take the final decision.
Carroll had a series of meetings with Bangladeshi security agencies alongside Papon right after arrival. “They will speak to security agencies once again and only after that something will happen,” Papon told reporters yesterday afternoon.
“After meeting them he will talk to us again. I have already told them what I have to say. Now, they are not supposed to believe me because I belong neither to the security nor to intelligence agencies. So I gave them an offer. They can talk to anyone they want to,” he added. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia issued an updated travel advice on Friday, stating that there is reliable information to suggest that militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh.
The government contacted CA directly on Friday afternoon to relay the latest advice, which led to Carroll being dispatched to Bangladesh to assess the situation. “I still don’t think there is any harm, but it depends on what information they have. Till now, they haven’t told me about that,” said Papon. Carroll met the Australian high commissioner in Bangladesh before meeting Papon, along with BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury and vice-president Mahbubul Anam. He will also start meeting government officials, police and security agencies from today. CA chief executive James Sutherland said that while they wanted the two-Test tour to proceed, it would not be possible to take a decision until the meetings had taken place. “We want the tour to go ahead as planned,” he told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.  “This has obviously come very suddenly and we’ve needed to make this response. Our preferred position is to continue with the tour, but the safety and security of our players and staff is the absolute priority and the first priority for us is to secure that," he said. “We’ll be endeavouring to get some undertakings and understandings of what the situation is in Bangladesh before making any further decisions in regard to the tour,” he added.
Although DFAT’s Smartraveller website often advises general caution when travelling in Asia, the wording of Friday’s updated advice that “militants may be planning to target Australian interests” is unusually specific. There is no such specific wording listed in the travel advice for Bangladesh’s neighbouring countries. “What we have heard from our government and the Department of Foreign Affairs is that there are credible threats to Australian and Western interests in Bangladesh. We obviously take that very seriously and we need to respond, and are responding in the manner that we have so far,” Sutherland said. However, he also noted that the advice was for ordinary Australians travelling in Bangladesh, and the Australian squad would have extremely high levels of security if the tour went on. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said yesterday that he hoped the tour would continue, but added that the government and administrators should take the decision rather than the players. Clarke also said he was disappointed that he had never been able to tour Pakistan during his international career of more than a decade due to security concerns. “A lot of the time as a player you leave decisions like this up to the experts. This is one of the occasions you want DFAT, CA, the Australian Cricketers’ Association to make the decision for you," Clarke said on Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports.  “If they’re saying, ‘Let’s hold the guys’ travel off for a few extra days,’ that shouldn’t affect the tour at all. If they’re still saying, ‘Don’t go in a week or two weeks’ time,’ then we’re having a different conversation,” he added.

 

Australia�s concern baseless: Home minister

�Security concerns� delay Aussie tour of Bangladesh

Tour prospect to be clear after CA?security chief�s meetings with local security agencies

Dismissing Australias security concerns, Bangladesh hopes that the Aussies will tour Bangladesh to play two Test matches. The prospect of the tour, however, will get a clearer picture after Australian teams security manager Sean Carrolls meetings with officials of the Bangladesh government, police and security agencies today. Australian players were scheduled to fly for Bangladesh this morning, but the departure has been postponed due to new security advice from the Australian government.Our country is now secure and there is no scope for the emergence of any militant outfit. So, their report about a security concern in our country is groundless. There is no risk or security problem to local and international matches played in our country, Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters in Dhaka yesterday. He also hoped that the tour will go on. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon said it is understood that the report of Australian teams security manager Sean Carroll, who arrived in the country yesterday, would be pivotal for Cricket Australia (CA) to take the final decision. Carroll had a series of meetings with Bangladeshi security agencies alongside Papon right after arrival. They will speak to security agencies once again and only after that something will happen, Papon told reporters yesterday afternoon. After meeting them he will talk to us again. I have already told them what I have to say. Now, they are not supposed to believe me because I belong neither to the security nor to intelligence agencies. So I gave them an offer. They can talk to anyone they want to, he added. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia issued an updated travel advice on Friday, stating that there is reliable information to suggest that militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh. The government contacted CA directly on Friday afternoon to relay the latest advice, which led to Carroll being dispatched to Bangladesh to assess the situation. I still dont think there is any harm, but it depends on what information they have. Till now, they havent told me about that, said Papon. Carroll met the Australian high commissioner in Bangladesh before meeting Papon, along with BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury and vice-president Mahbubul Anam. He will also start meeting government officials, police and security agencies from today. CA chief executive James Sutherland said that while they wanted the two-Test tour to proceed, it would not be possible to take a decision until the meetings had taken place. We want the tour to go ahead as planned, he told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday. This has obviously come very suddenly and weve needed to make this response. Our preferred position is to continue with the tour, but the safety and security of our players and staff is the absolute priority and the first priority for us is to secure that, he said. Well be endeavouring to get some undertakings and understandings of what the situation is in Bangladesh before making any further decisions in regard to the tour, he added. Although DFATs Smartraveller website often advises general caution when travelling in Asia, the wording of Fridays updated advice that militants may be planning to target Australian interests is unusually specific. There is no such specific wording listed in the travel advice for Bangladeshs neighbouring countries. What we have heard from our government and the Department of Foreign Affairs is that there are credible threats to Australian and Western interests in Bangladesh. We obviously take that very seriously and we need to respond, and are responding in the manner that we have so far, Sutherland said. However, he also noted that the advice was for ordinary Australians travelling in Bangladesh, and the Australian squad would have extremely high levels of security if the tour went on. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said yesterday that he hoped the tour would continue, but added that the government and administrators should take the decision rather than the players. Clarke also said he was disappointed that he had never been able to tour Pakistan during his international career of more than a decade due to security concerns. A lot of the time as a player you leave decisions like this up to the experts. This is one of the occasions you want DFAT, CA, the Australian Cricketers Association to make the decision for you, Clarke said on Channel Nines Wide World of Sports. If theyre saying, Lets hold the guys travel off for a few extra days, that shouldnt affect the tour at all. If theyre still saying, Dont go in a week or two weeks time, then were having a different conversation, he added.