I am a former BBC Bangladesh Correspondent, now reporting from India.
I was based in Dhaka for three years from October 2007 – a fascinating time in the country’s history.
One of my first stories was the arrest of the former PM, Khaleda Zia for corruption. She was then jailed by the military-backed caretaker government in a special prison in the grounds of parliament. There, she was was housed next to her arch-foe Sheikh Hasina, the current prime minister.
It was a strange time: democracy had been suspended and the gates of the fine Louis Kahn-designed parliament were locked. Journalists were being harassed, soldiers clashed with students, and dozens of political leaders were arrested on dubious grounds. None of this seemed to stop the government having the support of the international community, fronted by an extremely pompous UK High Commissioner.
But just over a year later I was reporting on the Battling Begum‘s release, and what eventually appeared to be very fair, and certainly very peaceful elections. The caretaker government and the army had realized that running a poor country of more than 140 million people was not much fun and had decided to sneak back into the shadows.
In the meantime, there were other stories to cover: two cyclones, the affects of climate change, high food price rises, the men who scrounged for gold in the sewers of old Dhaka, and a rickshaw man who won Pop Idol.
After the elections there was then the shocking mutiny by BDR border guards in Dhaka, when I came within a couple of inches of being shot in the head.
All the while, I tried, not at all successfully, to keep this blog updated. It did get several hundred readers – though one day I discovered that many came via a google search for “Dhaka airport.” My story on the Tangail brothel also attracted people who I guess were looking for something else.
Mark Dummett
(here is a bit more information about me, and I’m also on Twitter @Mark_Dummett)
Well I never, me jolly old journalist brother of mine. A blog indeed. A good idea as it is probably better for me to read your diary than the emails, which I must admit I am not that good at reading and replying to, so indeed it is a good time (as you quote).
Unfortunately I don’t have a blog, which is probably a good thing as I would keep it updated for about a week then ignore it for ever, and neither Slough nor London is as attractive as Dhaka.
So, keep up with the stories etc, and I’ll see you when you are over here, which is shortly, as I remember.
A.
Just thought I’d add my good wishes. You’re doing a great job out there in Dhaka, Mark. We back home all love hearing your broadcasts and feel very proud to be related to you.
I have just started a blog of my own and you and Cassie are mentioned in the very first post. You can check it out on http://www.we-love-magic.co.uk/blog/blog.html.
Georgie