Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday (December 14, 2022) said his ministry did not have prior information regarding the US Ambassador's visit to a particular residence where many people gathered outside the gate. Momen said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas met him on an emergency basis at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I told him that it is our responsibility to ensure security for you and your people. I asked him (Haas) whether anybody attacked him or on his people. He replied, no,” the foreign minister told reporters, adding that they will provide the Ambassador additional security if he wants. Momen said the Ambassador did not inform his ministry beforehand about the visit and wanted to know from the Ambassador how people came to know that he was going there. “We don’t know anything about it," he added. Read more: US Ambassador hosts reception for DCAB The foreign minister also advised the US envoy to look into how the information regarding his visit was leaked, adding that his (Ambassador) people may also do that. Ambassador Haas visited the residence of Sanjida Islam, coordinator of Mayer Dak, an organisation of the relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance, at Shaheenbagh in the city on Wednesday morning. Sanjida is the sister of BNP leader Sajedul Islam Sumon, who is reportedly a victim of enforced disappearance that took place in 2013. The Ambassador's security escort asked him to leave the place as soon as possible fearing blockade by people there. Read More: US keen to work with Bangladesh, other partners to ensure an open Indo-Pacific “Due to security reasons he left quickly. He is very unhappy with that incident. He is a bit worried,” Momen said. The US Ambassador and embassy staff ended the meeting due to "security concerns", said a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Dhaka. "We are raising this matter at the highest levels of the Bangladesh government," he said. “We cannot bar our journalists from performing their duties. They are very vocal and have the freedom and they run after events,” said the Foreign Minister while responding to a question. Read More: US to be bold in promoting its vision of a free, secure, and prosperous world: Haas The foreign minister said it is a country of free speech and people convey their messages freely and there is freedom of mobility. But, he said, people can be arrested as per the law if public and private property are damaged.

Though the authorities concerned are looking for every way to beef up security to prevent unpleasant activities in the beach town, tourists have largely ignored it to visit during the New Year as some recent incidents badly tarnished its image as a safe tourism destination. “Cox’s Bazar usually sees a surge of tourists on the eve of New Year every year but this year it was almost empty. Restrictions on outdoor events and recent rape incidents and skyrocketing food prices might be the reasons,” said Mahbubr Rahman, a physical teacher of a local school. Hotel, motel and restaurant owners and those involved in tourism support services are now worried over the fall in the number of tourists during the peak season. Also read: Cox's Bazar horror: Woman kidnapped & raped by 3 in front of husband & child They said 50% of rooms in many hotels and motels were vacant during the New Year celebrations. In the wake of some unwanted activities, law enforcement agencies have taken various steps to ensure the security of tourists while the local administration has set up a monitoring cell following the outcry of people over two rape incidents in the tourist hub recently. Salahuddin Setu, councillor of Cox’s Bazar municipality, said, “Some 350 big tourist buses had been kept ready in designated parking spaces during the 3-day government holiday starting from December 16, while 250 tourists vehicles were there at local Ilias Mia High School ground to deal with the pressure of tourists. Once 700 buses, carrying tourists, used to arrive in Cox’s Bazar at this time of the year, but this time the number was 50 only, a sharp fall in tourist arrival.”

An emergency meeting expressing concern over the security of the National Press Club members was held on Monday.