DHAKA: Bangladesh ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem said Royal Thai Police spokesperson on Friday afternoon that Bangladesh will uphold its zero-tolerance policy against any terrorism suspects at home and abroad under its stringent counter-terrorism laws, including the suspected mastermind of the Erawan Shrine bomb attacks who transited through Bangladesh last month.

During the meeting with the Spokesperson and Assistant Police Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Lt. Gen. Dr. Prawut Thavornsiri at Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok, the ambassador assured the Thai Law Enforcement Agencies of all out cooperation from Bangladesh government and its law enforcers on the possible tracing down of activities of the Bangkok bomb blast suspect who as per Bangladesh police sources left Bangladesh on 30 August 2015 following a two weeks transit stay there last month.

The ambassador particularly highlighted to Thai  Police's Number two that the present Government's stringent counter-terrorism laws can be enforced with extra-territorial third country jurisdiction upon any non-Bangladeshi person transiting via Bangladesh should he be apprehended under law.

The envoy was at the Royal Thai Police headquarters immediately after coming to learn about the suspects short stay in Bangladesh last month and shared relevant information available with Bangladesh authorities on the suspect’s entry into and exit from Bangladesh.

She also assured Thai Police that Bangladesh law enforcers will also work through InterPol to trace down any information that would help bring the suspect in question to justice.

 She also informed that that most information declared by the suspect were false and yet concerned law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh are working hard to trace down  possible activities of the alleged suspect during his transit stay in Bangladesh.

The Royal Thai Police Spokesperson thanked Bangladesh Ambassador for sharing important and useful information and expressed Thailand's resolve to work closely with Bangladesh to track down the alleged suspect. He also expressed appreciation for Bangladesh's stringent Counter-terrorism laws and requested continued sharing of information on the case.

Both sides agreed on the importance of creating a bilateral mechanism for sharing information and intelligence on security issues and in this regard stressed on the need to establish a security forum to counter trans-national crimes between the two countries.

Ambassador Tasneem is in close contact on the matter with the Thai Foreign Ministry, law enforcement agencies of both Thailand and Bangladesh and the Thai media since news on the Erawan Shrine bombings master planners two week transit stay on Bangladesh was released in Thai media on Thursday.

Thailand's leading English daily The Nation gave extensive coverage of her very fruitful meeting with Thai Royal Police under the headlines ‘Bangladesh on bomb chief's trail’.

BDST: 2208 HRS, SEPT 12, 2015
RR