Dhaka, Jan 21: Bangladesh's foreign minister said today that he will visit Washington later this week to protest a U.S. decision requiring male visitors from the predominantly Muslim country to register with immigration authorities. Foreign minister Morshed Khan told reporters he would meet U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell on Friday to demand that Washington reverse a decision requiring Bangladeshi males over the age of 16 to have their photos and fingerprints taken and documents examined upon arrival in the United States.
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait were added last week to a 25-country list of potential terrorist havens whose visiting nationals must now register with the U.S. immigration and naturalization service as part of a post-Sept. 11 programme.
The Bangladeshi government described the U.S. decision as ``unfortunate'' and Khan said he wrote a protest letter to Powell.
The move is likely to affect thousands of Bangladeshis who travel to the United States every year to study, do business, seek medical treatment or just visit relatives.
Khan said he would also ask Washington to explain why it put Bangladesh on the list. He defended his country as a moderate, Muslim democracy that did not support any kind of terrorism. Bureau Report