PRAGUE. Czech Republic.

Nov 40: Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen called for a concerted effort to counter escalating violence against writers and jouniallsis around the world, reports AP.

Nasreen. recently fled her homeland for exile In Sweden.

She called for more democracy in Bangladesh and urged writers to unite in defence of free speech.

"Words can be dangerous, words have strength to fight all kinds of darkpess. Nasreen told reporters.

Over 400 writers from 87 states. Including Arthur Miller of the United States and German author Guenter Grass are attending a meeting of PEN International called to defend tolerance and writers •freedom.

She singled out China. Peru. Syria and Turkey as the most dangerous areas, "We see writers persecuted for religious reasons, killed by drug cartels ... and Sarajevo is Its own kind of prison." Ackerman said, alluding to the plight of writers in the besieged Bosnian capital.

, The 61 st World Congress of PEN International is the first held in a formerly Communist country. It was opened by Czech President Vaclav Havel, aformer playwright who was jailed for his writings under the Communist regime.