DHAKA, Feb 16: Editors of 23 Banglaeshi dailies have decided to form a "forum to protect journalists". The development came a day after Sheikh Belaluddin, the Khulna bureau chief of the daily Sangram, died of injuries he had received when a bomb went off at the Khulna Press Club.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting on Feb 12, the editors expressed deep concern over the killing of journalists. They said the government had remained unconcerned at the murders of journalists and not a single incident had been properly investigated, nor were the culprits punished.

They noted that the government had remained silent when groups or political parties threatened to attack them or force their closure. They called upon editors, journalists, publishers, and all others belonging to the newspaper industry to join hands and resist the threat. The forum announced the holding of protest rallies across the country on Saturday.