Agence France-Presse,
DHAKA: A mutiny by thousands of Bangladesh border guards ended in their surrender Thursday, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned they were on a “suicidal” path that could only end in bloodshed.
But uncertainty remained over the fate of more than 130 army officers still missing after rank-and-file guards in the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) took them hostage in a dispute over pay and conditions.
“All the troops have surrendered their weapons and gone back to their barracks,” the prime minister's spokesman, Abul Kalam Azad, told AFP, adding that all remaining hostages had been freed.
But a spokesman for the armed forces who did not wish to be named said only 31 of the 168 officers inside the compound when the mutiny began were accounted for.
“We don't know what happened to the rest of the 137 officers. They are still missing,” he said.
Tensions in the BDR had been simmering for months but exploded into violence early Wednesday when senior officers dismissed appeals for more pay, subsidised food and holidays.
Police have put the official death toll at 20 with dozens more injured, although one minister earlier said that as many as 50 officers may have been killed by their men.
Among the missing was the head of the BDR, major general Shakil Ahmed, who was Thursday reported to have been shot dead during the rebellion.
“Major General Shakil Ahmed was among the first to be killed by the mutinous soldiers. They shot him dead at the Durbar Hall,” his colleague colonel M Kamruzzaman told private TV station ATN Bangla.
In a televised address to the nation, Sheikh Hasina, who took office less than two months ago, threatened to put down the mutiny by force.
“Just give up your arms and return to barracks right now,” she said. “Don't take the suicidal route. Don't compel me to take tough action. We are aware of your problems. Please help us.”
Shortly after Sheikh Hasina's address, the army had positioned tanks and armoured personnel carriers close to the BDR headquarters.
Earlier Thursday, the revolt appeared to be spreading to a number of other BDR posts outside the capital.
Police chiefs across the poor and chronically unstable South Asian nation said BDR members had revolted in 15 border districts — roughly a quarter of the zones where border security forces are stationed.
Police chief Kamrul Ahsan, from the southeastern town of Satkania, reported “heavy fighting” at a BDR training centre.
In an effort to stem any further spread, the Bangladesh telecoms authority ordered all the country's six mobile operators to shut down their networks.
“The situation across the country is calm and quiet. Everything is now under control,” Azad said.
Sheikh Hasina had offered the mutineers an amnesty on Wednesday and also promised to address complaints over low pay and working conditions.
The unrest was the first major crisis to face Sheikh Hasina since she took office after a landslide election victory that ended two years of army-backed rule.
“Keep the peace and stay patient for the sake of the nation. I urge everyone to be patient. I seek cooperation of all,” she said in her televised address.
The mini-revolt highlighted the frustrations felt by many in Bangladesh, which suffers from high food prices, a slowing economy and rampant corruption within the ruling classes.
Bangladesh has had a history of political violence, coups and counter-coups since winning independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The country was run by a military dictator from 1982 to 1990, before democracy was restored in 1991. In January 2007 the army again stepped in, cancelled elections and declared a state of emergency following months of political unrest.
Democracy was only restored with elections last December.
