WASHINGTON, D.C. February 27, 2009 – The Voice of America’s (VOA) Bangla Service actively covered the mutiny of the Bangladesh Rifles border guards this week, providing listeners with news, information and interviews with experts on the tense situation.
On Friday, Prime Minister Sheik Hasina sent military tanks throughout Dhaka to calm the situation, one day after hundreds of guards fled their headquarters. The flight ended the bloody two-day revolt after which more than 60 bodies were found. The border guards have complained they are treated like second-class citizens within the military.
VOA, which broadcasts in Bangla 90 minutes daily, gave news updates from Dhaka on the unfolding events.
Among others, the service interviewed retired Major General Muniruzzaman, Director of the Institute of Defense and Security; retired Major General Ibrahim, a military analyst and several leaders of the border guards.
The service also covered reactions from neighboring countries, especially India. As soon as the mutiny broke out, India put its shared border with Bangladesh on high alert to keep the violence from spreading.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 134 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.
For more information, call VOA Public Relations at (202) 203-4959, or e-mail askvoa@voanews.com.
