BANGLADESH

JULY 25, 2005
Posted: August 3, 2005

Munshi Abu Tayeb, Dainik LokshamajTHREATENED

The Khulna bureau chief for the Dainik Lokshamaj, a daily newspaper based in the southwestern district of Jessore, received death threats from members of the underground Islamic militant Jihadi Party.

Tayeb, who also works as Khulna correspondent for the private NTV, informed local newspapers that the threats arrived in the mail on July 25.

The threats refer to killing Tayeb by bomb attack, the method used last year to kill journalists Manik Saha of the BBC and Humayun Kabir Balu, editor for a popular Bengali-language weekly. A member of the Jihadi Party claimed responsibility for issuing the new threats.

According to the Daily Star, Tayeb filed a complaint with the police immediately after receiving the threats. The Dainik Lokshamaj is owned by Forest and Environment Minister Tariqul Islam

The southwest region of Bangladesh is notorious for crime and corruption and is one of the most dangerous areas for journalists.