Hundreds of killing fields left out of official count

Dhaka, Dec 15 (bdprem.com)—A committee formed during the previous Awami League government to identify sites of genocide across the country uncovered leads to 3,000-5,000 such sites. A separate war crime fact-finding committee has also come up with similar findings. Your Ad Here According to the caretaker government, only 193 killing fields have so far been verified countrywide. The number of sites in Dhaka, Mymensingh and Naogaon tops the list. Liberation war affairs secretary Abul Kasem Mahbubul Alam told bdnews24.com: "The ministry is trying to identify more killing fields with the help of armed forces, besides preserving the 193 sites." The secretary, however, added that even if more sites were found and infrastructure was provided, the ministry could provide no manpower to maintain them. "The zila parishads will later be handed the responsibility to take care of the new sites (if identified)," he said. A senior ministry official said the government had initially taken up a Tk 5.74 crore project to excavate, preserve and maintain genocide sites. This initial project began in July 2002 and was scheduled to be completed in June 2008, he said. The secretary told bdprem.com: "Procedures are underway for a second phase project, which is expected to begin after completion of the first phase in 2008." However, Shahrier Kabir, a member of the Awami League-formed committee, and Dr MA Hasan, convener of the war crimes fact-finding committee, differed with the views expressed by the ministry officials. Kabir, also convener of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee (committee to exterminate killers and collaborators), told bdnews24.com: "During the last Awami League government, our committee—led by the then cultural affairs secretary, Azizur Rahman—received reports of 3,000 to 5,000 genocide sites across the country." Only 500 places were marked as genocide sites as many disappeared into rivers, he said. Even if those reported sites that fell to erosion, or had disappeared for other reasons, were left out of the count, the number would still be higher, he said.