BANGLADESH: Bangladesh yesterday defended its decision to snub foreign aid after the collapse of a factory complex as anger flared at the recovery operation and towards the building’s owner when he appeared in court.
With the death toll from the country’s worst ever industrial disaster now standing at 387, Western retailers offered compensation to the victims of last Wednesday’s tragedy on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
The government announced plans for another blitz of inspections after it came under pressure from Western brand names for a “credible” safety regime in an industry that has a shocking record of disasters.
While foreign help such as sniffer dogs and heat-seeking sensors has been a regular feature of rescue efforts following other large-scale disasters, the government decided it could handle the situation.
“The need for immediate foreign assistance was not felt because our rescue operation has been sufficient and exemplary,” Home Secretary Mustak Ahmed said, adding the government was “grateful” for the offers. Ahmed confirmed Britain was among the foreign governments to offer help.
The UN’s humanitarian advisor in Bangladesh Gerson Brandao said that he had offered the help of specialist rescue teams based in Singapore and Abu Dhabi within hours of the disaster but never received a response.
“These are a group of people who are experts. They have dogs, micro cameras and other equipment that we do not have in Bangladesh,” Brandao said.
Although the exact number of people still missing is not known, there were around 3,000 workers on shift at the time of the disaster and more than 2,400 were rescued from the ruins.
“Our army, firefighters, police and volunteers did a very good job. We also have enough equipment,” Ahmed added.
There are accusations however that the government’s reluctance to accept outside help had a more sinister motive.
Rights activist Hana Shams Ahmed wrote on Facebook that the government was afraid of having international aid workers on the ground as “they don’t want this to be internationally discussed how easily preventable this was”.
“Ultimately, the responsibility of this lies with the government and its chain of corruption, negligence and greed,” added Ahmed.
Distraught relatives who have stayed at the site for news were also critical of the recovery operation, fearing bodies could be pulverised.
AFP
