Print

Mail

wiki links

Bangladesh jailed officials plea sick

Bangladesh plans to set up a jail infirmary to cope with a flood of complaints of illness from high-profile suspects arrested in the government's corruption crackdown, officials said yesterday.

Authorities were unsure if the complaints of heart disease, kidney problems, asthma and diabetes were genuine or just attempts to secure better conditions, the officials said.

"There are 62 inmates who enjoy privileges and most of them complained they were sick and needed treatment," said deputy inspector general of prisons Shamsul Haider Siddiqui.

At least 150 prominent figures have been arrested since a massive campaign was launched by the military-backed emergency government to clean up Bangladesh politics in February.

"Very often we get complaints of chest pains but in such cases it becomes difficult to find out what actually has happened so we are left with no choice but to refer them to doctors," Siddiqui said.

"It is impossible to know whether someone is feigning illness or not," he said.

Twelve of the detainees had been moved to hospitals in the capital Dhaka while others were being treated in jail or being sent to hospitals for visits.

The government had asked prison authorities to set up the infirmary in Dhaka to cope with the situation, Siddiqui said.

"We will rent a suitable building that will be equipped with medical facilities so that we don't have to face these difficulties," he said.

The detainees include a string of former ministers from both main parties -- the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League.

The influential elder son of the country's most recent elected prime minister Khaled Zia is also being held.

Some suspects such as former ministers or independence war veterans qualify for special conditions in jail and they are held separately from the main prison population.
This story has been viewed 1074 times.