‘Crossfire’ not solution but weakness: Menon

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon today said that terrorism cannot be controlled by killing alleged militants in encounters as he thinks that 'crossfire' shows the weakness and failure of law enforcement agencies.

He also said there is no Islamic State (IS) in the country, but there may be some of its followers.

"...militant groups have been committing killings in the country for the last several months. They're killing priests, bloggers, monks, baul researchers, teachers and other minority members," he said while addressing the general discussion on fiscal 2016-17 budget in the parliament.

It should be mentioned that the attacks of militants are not only against a specific community but also against the people of Bangladesh, he said, adding that the militants are trying to create a communal state here through these attacks.

Menon said he read out the write-ups of the bloggers who were killed, but did not find any anti-religion article.

Bangladesh had emerged as a secular spirit, and it is secular democracy that can make Bangladesh a modern and developed country.

He said the government is negotiating with JICA to manage funds to construct third terminal of Shahjalal International Airport, which is expected to be completed by 2019.

"Once the third terminal is built, about 24 million passengers will be able to use the terminal a year," the minister said.

About the proposed allocation for the tourism sector, he said Tk 540 crore has been proposed for the sector in fiscal 2016-17 which is not enough to develop this sector.

He also said an amount of Tk 100 crore has been allocated in the next fiscal budget in 'Visit Bangladesh Programme'.

Tourism will be the second largest foreign exchange earning sector after the RMG in the days to come, said Menon adding that river routes will be introduced in neighbouring countries next year to encourage tourism.

He also stressed the need for reforming the Election Commission to make elections meaningful.