Bangladesh coup at an end?

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 1

Bangladesh coup at an end?

NZPA Now Delhi The leader of the Bangladesh Army rebels was yesterday reported to have been captured. The Press Trust of India in a report from Dacca said Major-Gen-eral Manzur Ahmed had been arrested.

It quoted a high Government official as saying General Manzur was seized in hillv country outside Chittagong. There was. however, no /official news on the whereabouts of the General or his fellow rebel officers.

The unofficial report came as the Bangladesh Government claimed it had "crushed" the week-end rebellion by insurgent Army officers, who killed President Ziaur Rahman, and had regained control of Chittagong.

The body of President Ziaur was also reported to have been recovered yesterday at an engineering college, about 38 km from Chittagong where he was killed on Saturday.

The rebels had refused to hand over the body to the International Red Cross, but the official Bangladesh News Agency, 8.5.5., said yesterday that special aircraft had left for Chittagong to bring the body to Dacca for a State funeral.

Quoting a high official source, the agency said, in a Dacca-datelined dispatch, that General Manzur had left Chittagong yesterday morning, two hours before the deadline given to him by the Government to surrender. First reports had said he had gone into hiding. His arrest occurred exactly 48 hours after he launched the uprising with

the assassination of President Ziaur. The rebels had earlier replied to the surrender ultimatum by threatening that Army officers loyal to the Dacca . Administration whe were being held hostage ir Chittagong would be executed one by one unless Dacca Radio ’ stopped antirebel broadcasts.

However, yesterday's announcement said the rebels had fled Chittagong on Sun day night. The three-day rebellion began with the killing of President Ziaur and several aides during an attack on a Government guest house early on Saturday. The Chittagong radio station resumed regular programming yesterday. Radio Bangladesh said. It had been taken by the rebels and used as their voice.

Diplomats said that although the rebels announced the formation of a Revolutionary Committee, it was clear by Sunday that they had failed to attract support from Army units in the res; of the country. Whoever succeeds Presi dent Ziaur is likely to hav< to deal with a long period o political and military insta bility in that country, ob servers here believe. Western and Asian ob servers in Calcutta monitor ing reports from across the border with Bangladesh, sail there was little likelihood o. any effective civilian politi cal leader emerging to succeed President Ziaur in the near future.

Analysts speculate that whoever wins the fight for control of the Army will likely hold the rule over the country, which now has a political vacuum.