B'desh to shed white man's burdern

The nation will bid farewell to the British khaki uniforms still sported by the prison guards.

Bangladesh announced on Saturday it planned to bid farewell to a last vestige of British colonial rule — khaki uniforms still sported by the nation's prison guards.

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"All 7,000 jail guards will now wear green uniforms," Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Zakir Hassan told the agency.

"The jail guards don't look smart or feel good in their British-era khaki uniforms. This dampens morale and they lack pride in their uniforms," he said, adding the final decision was taken by a ministerial-led government committee.

"Jail guards are the only law-enforcers still wearing British colonial uniforms. The army, police and the (paramilitary) Bangladesh Rifles all changed their khaki uniforms a long time back," he said.

The prison head has introduced a slew of changes since his appointment five months ago to help clean up Bangladesh's 66 prisons notorious for congestion and crime such as drug dealing.

Hassan said the new uniform, to be issued soon, would make prison guards look more professional, boost their confidence and lead to better performance.