News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion

[akash57]

S Korea to help Bangladesh upgrade power transmission, distribution systems

Raihan M Chowdhury

A South Korean electrical trade delegation recently visited Bangladesh and expressed interest to help the country overcome its nagging power crisis through technological up-gradation.

The trade delegation included 12 leading Korean companies and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the government-owned electric power company of Republic of Korea.

"KEPCO has already attained pinnacle in managing its power sector with system loss of only 4 per cent from generation to distribution with implementing the 'smart grid' technologies in Korea and Bangladesh has a lot of scope to take assistance from us," Joon-Chull Kim, chairman of Korea Electrical Manufacturers Association told the FE in an interview Saturday.

KEPCO has established new systems and management capabilities very effective to face the challenges of the power sector of today and tomorrow in South Korea, an Asian powerhouse in economic development.

"KEPCO presented an overview of smart grid and advanced transmission and distribution technologies to the Bangladeshi utility operators/companies," Park, Jung-Keun, vice president of KEPCO said.

The upgrading of technology and equipment in the electrical system is considered by Bangladeshi utility companies necessary for managing its power system with efficiency.

Organized by KOTRA Dhaka, commercial section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, in cooperation with Korea Electrical Manufacturers Association (KOEMA), and KEL, a local consulting company, the seminar was attended by senior figures in business and government.

The seminar highlighted the importance to Bangladesh of advanced technologies in the field of electricity systems and to explore the effective and efficient options to do so.

The event brought a good opportunity to increase mutual benefits in the electrical sector of both countries.

Bilateral trade between Korea and Bangladesh is expanding, the volume of which reached more than $1 billion last year. The Korea electric delegation is expected to add a new chapter to the mutual interest in furthering the cooperation in the electrical sector.

The Chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) ASM Alamgir Kabir said the Bangladesh government will definitely come forward to strengthen the bilateral relations as far as power sector development is concerned.

Taiyoung Cho, Korean ambassador in Bangladesh said that his country is also ready to assist Bangladesh in installing nuclear power plants.

"About 40 per cent power is being generated from nuclear plants in our country, so Bangladesh can take assistance from us," Mr Cho added.

ROK produces 80,000 megawat power consumed by 50 million people.

S Korea to help Bangladesh upgrade power transmission, distribution systems

 

[akash57]

Maldives, Bangladesh sign education cooperation agreement

MALE, January 24 (HNS) – Maldives and Bangladesh today signed an agreement aimed at providing assistance in education sector.

At a special ceremony held in Education Ministry this morning, Maldives Education Minister Shifa Mohamed and Bangladeshi Education Minister Noorul Islam signed the agreement.

Speaking at the ceremony the ministers expressed confidence that the agreement would benefit both the countries. Shifa noted that much assistance would be required in establishing the Maldives National University.

Under the agreement, teachers and students will be swapped between the two countries.

Maldives Education Minister stressed that medical students in Maldives will be able to gain work experience from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government will assist in providing geography, art, history, and music teachers among other subjects, she added.

Haveeru Online - Maldives, Bangladesh sign education cooperation agreement

 

[akash57]

Bangladesh to buy 1.1 mln tonnes fuel from Malaysia

DHAKA Jan 24 (Reuters) - Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will import about 1.1 million tonnes of fuel oil worth $429 million from Malaysia, a senior official said on Monday.

"We are expecting approval of the government purchase committee soon to place order to buy the oil from Malaysia's state-run oil company Petronas ," said Anwarul Karim, chairman of state-managed BPC, the lone oil importer and distributor of oil in Bangladesh.

The fuel -- including 940,000 tonnes of octane, 120,000 tonnes of kerosene and 20,000 tonnes of jet fuel -- is needed to meet Bangladesh's demand during the second half (January-June) of the current fiscal year, he said.

Karim told Reuters that Bangladesh's oil imports would rise by at least 35 percent to 4.85 million tonnes in the 2010-11 fiscal year, from 3.6 million tonnes in the previous year.

The rise is mainly due to higher demand of oil-fired power plants, officials said.

(Reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir; Editing by Anis Ahmed)

Bangladesh to buy 1.1 mln tonnes fuel from Malaysia | Energy & Oil | Reuters

 

[Skies]

Wheelchair user's 5000-mile journey from Bangladesh to UK by land

A man injured four years ago in a motorcycle accident and now wheelchair-bound, is set to travel from Bangladesh to his home in St. Helens in Merseyside, north England, a distance of some 5,000 miles, using buses, trains and ferries.

Peter Donnelly, 24, has been volunteering in Bangladesh for the last four months. He hopes to raise funds for the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) on Dhaka's outskirts where he has been based recently. His journey will take him across 14 countries, many of which will not have facilities for the disabled.

Mr Donnelly's journey will cover Nepal, China and Russia before heading into Europe where he will travel through Germany and France before reaching the UK. Mr Donnelly hopes to raise around £5,000 ($8000) by providing treatment, vocational training and wheelchairs for a spinal rehabilitation centre in Dhaka, as he reports on his fund-raising website called Rolling Back Home. So far, more than £2,600 ($4100) has been donated.

His journey is in fact already under way. On Sunday night he took a bus to Siliguri in India's state of West Bengal. Earlier today (Tuesday) he arrived in Kathmandu in Nepal after riding on buses for over 15 hours. In his blog he describes how his journey to Kathmandu was "stressed" after becoming separated from his bag containing his passport, and following a four-hour wait for one bus, how he spent the entire 15-hour bus ride, "being thrown around inside the bus like a salt-shaker."

Mr Donnelly also describes how he has been giving media interviews to the BBC World Service prior to embarking on his marathon journey. He said: "The first reason I'm doing this is that I am raising money for the CRP, which does an amazing job in one of the poorest countries in the world. Secondly, I'm doing it to raise awareness of what can be achieved when using a wheelchair and how everything in your path might not be perfect but it is still possible.

When people with a disability are seen more in public then others will understand their difficulties and adjust to them."


Peter's journey can also be followed on Twitter and a Facebook group page.

 

[Skies]

No fish will be left to catch, expert warns Bangladesh

Dhaka, Feb 1 (IANS) No hilsa, not even fish will be left to catch in the Bay of Bengal, an expert has warned as the Bangladesh government prepared to issue 30 fresh licences for fishing, a media report said Tuesday.

The government will award the licences without any survey of the already dwindling reserve. Bangladesh shares the bay with neighbours India and Myanmar and several foreign trawlers from Asia-Pacific region also fish in the region.

The expert's alarm came at a time when 44,000 fishing boats and 170 trawlers skim the bay every day with sea-floor-scraping nets that scoop up everything on the way, causing over-fishing.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is set to overlook the warnings issued by a committee. The panel's warning were also ignored in 2002 by then Khaleda Zia government that had issued 50 licences.

Most of those who were awarded the licences sold them for five million taka ($70,621). The licences changed many hands and those who finally began fishing paid double that amount, the Daily Star said.

Fisheries experts say the move to allow more trawlers might be disastrous because of a rapid depletion of fish stocks in the bay, home to 65 commercially important fish species and 36 shrimp species.

They warn that awarding new licences would also be disastrous for the existence of hilsa that is consumed and exported in a big way, and is considered the `national fish' by Bangladesh.

'What I feel is that this is a plot to destroy marine fish stocks. There will be no fish to catch. Everything will vanish in five to seven years,' said Mohammed Abdul Kader of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, the University of Chittagong.

'If more trawlers are allowed for mid-water fishing, they will catch both mid-water and surface water fish thanks to the type of nets they use. It will deplete the existing stock,' he added.

A study by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Bangladesh also shows that fish resources are on the decline due to environmental degradation and other activities such as over-exploitation of in-shore fisheries.

'It hits traditional fishermen. They are not getting adequate fish to make ends meet as industrial trawlers are moving to catch fish in low depth areas,' Kader said.

'If you allow mid-water trawling, hilsa will also disappear because all types of hilsa...will be caught,' he said.

However, Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman Khan, director general of the Department of Fisheries, claimed the decvision to grant new licences came on the basis of past catch data.

'We have seen that catches of existing trawlers are not dropping. Based on the data, the government has decided to issue new licences,' he told the newspaper.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Govt plans to strengthen consumer rights protection
Posted on February 3, 2011

Govt plans to strengthen consumer rights protection

Govt plans to strengthen consumer rights protection
Talha Bin Habib

The government has planned to strengthen the functions of the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection (DNCRP), officials said.

As part of the plan, there will be offices of DNCRP in all districts to protect the rights of the consumers.

To this end, initially, the ministry of finance has already given approval for 233 posts of the department.

“DNCRP started functioning last year. We have taken a move to set up our offices at the district level so that unscrupulous traders cannot violate consumers rights,” Md Abul Hossain Mian, additional secretary and director general (DG) of DNCRP, told the FE.

Asked when the district offices of his organisation could start their functions, he said, “We hope they will start in near future once the government decision on determining the required manpower is finalised and subsequent completion of appointments”.

About the function of his organisaiton he said, the main function of the DNCRP is to stem unscrupulous traders for not selling date expired and spurious commodities that kept in packet to the customers.

He said if any consumer feels cheated and deprived by unscrupulous trader then he/ she could lodge complain to the authority of DNCRP.

“The DNCRP fights for the protection of the consumers’ rights after filling the law suit by the deprived customer. If the court gives order for giving financial compensation to the ‘deprived and aggrieved’ consumers then they could get a considerable portion of fined money”.

He said the officials of DNCRP, in their on going raids to different shops and markets in the capital have realised notable amount of taka from the unscrupulous traders.

Earlier the government has formed National Consumers Rights Protection Council (NCRPC). The commerce minister is the chairman of the council.

The function of the NCRPC is to monitor the activities of the DNCRP. It will also provide necessary policy supports and guidelines to the DNCRP.

Representatives of different chamber bodies such as FBCCI, BSTI, CAB, are also the members of the NCRPC.

 

[akash57]

Govt mulling sky train in the capital

Dhaka, Feb 15 (UNB) - The government has decided to construct sky train line in the capital City Dhaka to ensure mass transport and thus giving respite to the city dwellers from the nagging traffic jam.

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on traffic jam in the capital held at the Ministry of Finance. Chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, senior officials of the Finance Division, Bridges Division, Roads and Railways Division and Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) attended the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Muhith said that Japan has already conducted a study on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT-6) project in Dhaka City. Besides, he had a meeting with JICA on Monday regarding this.

The sky train plan envisages a 22 km rail line from Uttara to Bangladesh Bank via Rokeya Swarani, Chandrima, Airport, Sonargaon, Shahbagh, Bangla Academy, Curzon Hall, High Court. The rail line may be extended to Syedabad.

BRAC University Vice-chancellor Zamilur Reza Chowdhury, who was present in the meeting, said that around 60,000 passengers would be able to travel in the sky train in every hour and there will be one train in every two to three minutes. There will be 18 stations on the route and it would take around 45 minutes to travel from one end to another.

He hoped that the work of the project will start soon and it would be completed within four years.

Bridged Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain said the project will cost about US$ 1.7 billion of which Japan will provide around 70 percent as soft loan, to be available from next year.

He said that travel cost of the passengers would not exceed Tk 50 (Tk 2.50 for per kilometer) and it would be cost effective compared to traveling by rickshaw or auto-rickshaw.

The traveling cost may be lower if the frequency of train and number of passengers increases.

Muhith said work on the elevated expressway would begin within three months as contract has already been signed and it would be completed by 2013. Besides, there will be another flyover in the cantonment area.

The objective of the government is to ensure mass transport and once it is ensured, there will be restrictions on the private transport.
He hoped that 50 percent of the city’s traffic jam will be reduced if and when mass transport is ensured.

Pointing to the public resentment of intolerable traffic jam and power crisis the Minister said both the sectors receive the highest number of allegations, Muhith said the government will soon come out with a statement of the past, present and future plans in transport sector.

UNBconnect... - Govt mulling sky train in the capital

 

[akash57]

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT
'Power capture to be subversive'

Dhaka, Mar 13 (bdnews24.com) — Capturing state power will be treated as treachery and subversive act, and punishment for such offences will be incorporated in the Constitution, says the co-chair of the special committee on constitution amendment.

"Those who will forgive the wrongdoers or support their misdeeds regarding grabbing state power and repealing and suspending the Constitution in an unconstitutional way," Suranjit Sengupta said at a briefing after a meeting of the special committee on Sunday.

Referring to Khandaker Mostaque Ahmed, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, Ziaur Rahman and H M Ershad, he said, "Great men come [to power] and they either suspend or stay the operation of the Constitution. An amendment to the Constitution to this effect will also be made."

"If the 'so-called' Election Commission, Parliament and even the court extend any support in such acts, they will also be considered equally responsible, and we're planning to incorporate it into the Constitution," he said.

Suranjit, who also heads the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry, said the special committee had so far reviewed up to the third chapter of the Constitution.

"We've made a good progress and it'll be placed in parliament as bills at the earliest. A special parliament session will be convened in Apr-May for this," he said.

Constitution amendment would be the only business during the special session of Jatiya Sangsad, he added, saying that the special committee would continue to hold meetings to complete its jobs as soon as possible.

Committee members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Rahmat Ali, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Hasan Mahmud, Anisul Islam Mahmud and Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury attended the meeting with its chairman Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair.

ISUUES TO BE INCLUDED

Suranjit said the committee wanted to include some of the national basic principles in the Constitution.

'To modernise the Constitution, we have agreed to include three issues — climate change, women's representation [as per the Representation of the People Order] and rights of the ethnic minority communities — making it conditional to the basic principles," he said.

He also said that a meeting would be convened soon with the people concerned to talk to the members in parliament as per the opinions of ethnic minorities.

The special committee co-chair also said proclamation of independence and the letter of proclamation would also be incorporated in the Constitution.

RECOGNITION TO FATHER OF THE NATION

Suranjit, after the Feb 15 meeting of the committee, had said they agreed to include in the Constitution 'Bangabandhu' as the 'Father of the Nation' and the mandatory use of his portrait in all government, semi-government offices, and Bangladesh missions abroad.

He said the committee was working on the Constitution amendment retaining to 'Bismillah' and Islam as the state religion. "We have also agreed that the nationality of the people of the country would remain as Bangali and citizenship as Bangladeshis."

The special committee is working on the basis of the war of independence, political philosophy and history of Bangladesh, said Suranjit, also a Constitution expert, adding that these issues were reflected in the Constitution of every nation.

He said the Clause (ka) of the Article 2 of the Constitution would retain Islam as the state religion, but right to religion of all, including the Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, would be protected.

The Clause (ka) of the Article 4 will be repealed and the sub-section 5 (a) will recognise 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the 'Father of the Nation', he added, saying that preservation and display of his portrait in all government, semi-government offices and Bangladesh missions abroad will be incorporated into the sub-section 6.

Referring to a Supreme Court order, he said, "The nationality will be Bangali, but the citizenship of the people in the country will be Bangladeshi. We [committee members] have reached a consensus on the issues of nationality and citizenship."

The special committee, headed by Sajeda Chowdhury, was formed on July 21, 2011 to present a constitution which will be acceptable to all.

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT Power capture to be subversive | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

 

[akash57]

Now, India to have a ‘Wagah in the East’

NEW DELHI: Keen to give a face to the newly inculcated bonhomie between India and Bangladesh, the border guarding forces of the two countries have decided to start Attari- Wagah border kind but nonaggressive joint retreat ceremony at the Petrapole-Benapole checkpoint everyday.

“We hope to make it more beautiful and congenial than the Attari-Wagah ceremony and turn it into a big tourist attraction,” said director general of Border Security Force, Raman Srivastava on the final day of the bi-annual meet with DG of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Maj General Rafiqul Islam.

Situated only 94 kilometres from Kolkata, the Petrapole- Benapole is the biggest land customs station in Asia witnessing traffic of more than 500 trucks and about 2,000 passengers per day.

Describing the two days’ parleys as “most cordial” meeting BSF and BGB have ever had, the frontier forces have constituted a joint committee to decide methodology of the ceremony and come up with suggestions to start it at other checkpoints.

Paying heed to BGB’s claim that at times BSF firing leads to killing of innocent Bangladeshis venturing towards undemarcated border, BSF has decided to introduce non-lethal weapons in certain vulnerable border areas.

“We assured BGB’s DG introduction of non-lethal weapons in selective vulnerable areas, and if it works to lessening of casualties, we will expand it along the entire border,” Srivastava said.

The two forces also agreed to increase the frequency of field level meetings between company commander level officers and above to settle disputes amicably and start an exchange visit programme of wives and children of officers of the two forces.

Posturing by Maj General Rafiqul Islam, who asked the BSF to follow internationally accepted rules of engagements at the border, did come as a surprise to many.

“We’ve been urging BSF to primarily avoid firing that kills innocent people, arresting them is a better way.

Complex issues cannot be addressed by firing,” said Islam, adding that he also did not find any justification in sealing off the borders during the forthcoming Assam and West Bengal elections.

He also raised large scale smuggling of Decodex drug into Bangladesh from Indian side of the border.

To the dismay of many, BSF director general chose to keep mum, neither clarifying nor contradicting Islam’s accusations.

A major breakthrough from the Indian perspective was Bangladesh formally agreeing to forgo its longstanding position of not allowing any construction within 150 yards from the international border.

Now, India to have a 'Wagah in the East'

 

[akash57]

Bangladesh’s ruling ally threatens to quit govt

Former Bangladesh president H M Ershad, who heads the third-largest party in parliament, has said his Jatiya Party might quit the ruling alliance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina “if not properly evaluated”.

Ershad, also a former army chief, has been increasingly critical of the government alleging mismanagement of the economy, power situation and law and order in the country.

The Jatiya Party’s withdrawal is unlikely to threaten the overwhelming majority of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, which holds 230 seats in the 345-member parliament.

Ershad’s party, which won seven percent of the vote in the 2008 general elections, has 27 members. He has some ministers, including his brother, in the government, but wants more.

“We have not been given our due share in the government, do not get co-operation from the government and our suggestions and recommendations are not considered,” the New Age newspaper quoted him as telling party officials.

Bangladeshi Supreme Court last year annulled all the constitutional amendments made during Ershad’s regime 1983-1990.

The apex court even prescribed punishment for Ershad in one of the cases against him. But Hasina resisted demands from other alliance partners that he should be prosecuted.

Ershad had several graft cases against him. According to media reports, the government has favoured his acquittal.

In October last year, a Jatiya Party lawmaker claimed Ershad killed Ziaur Rahman in 1981 coup.

“Ziaur Rahman was killed by (the then army chief) General Ershad and not General Manzur” as is widely believed, Nasim Osman, was quoted as saying.

Osman’s comments came at a function in his suburban Narayanganj constituency and reportedly surprised the audience present.

Osman also justified the killing of Rahman, an army general-turned politician who floated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in an abortive coup on May 30, 1981, as he had ‘masterminded’ the 1975 assassination of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“Bangabandhu murder trial was actually done on May 30, 1981 with the killing of Zia (Ur Rahman) as he was the man behind the killing of the Father of the Nation,” he said.

Osman’s family is known to be a strong supporter of the ruling Awami League and one of his brothers is a former ruling party lawmaker.

“Do you know why I’m in Jatiya Party of Ershad? It’s because the work I was to do, was done by him (Ershad as he had killed Rahman),” he said.

Ershad took over power in a bloodless coup months after Rahman’s assassination in an abortive army putsch. Twelve army officers were hanged under a controversial court martial following the coup. The main suspect, Major General Abul Manzur, was killed allegedly by angry soldiers soon after the putsch.

In the past, Ershad had sought alliance with Hasina’s rival, former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, reportedly on the condition that he would be made the country’s president again.

Gulf Times Qatar's top-selling English daily newspaper - SriLanka/Bangladesh

 

[akash57]

Yunus is a political victim

Say some British MPs, academics

Lord Avebury, vice-chair of the UK Parliamentary Human Rights Group, has said the removal of Grameen founder Prof Muhammad Yunus by the government from his post raises serious concerns about the creeping politicisation of development work and civil society in Bangladesh.

In a joint statement in London issued on March 11, Avebury and some British MPs and academics said the microcredit approach to poverty reduction pioneered by Prof Yunus is an important innovation in the fight against poverty.

There are 8 million women borrowers in Bangladesh and the basic idea of microcredit has been copied by many other public and private agencies across the world, Avebury said.

“At the same time, advocates of microcredit have sometimes made exaggerated claims about its efficacy, and in some countries the sector itself has been poorly regulated,” he said.

He, however, said the government's decision to take action against Yunus now appears to be motivated more by a desire to gain short term political capital by cashing in on a current global microfinance media backlash, than by evidence of any wrongdoing.

“No substantive reasons have been given for the sacking, nor has there been an opportunity for Professor Yunus to answer any criticisms of his performance as managing director,” he said.

“It looks as though the government is punishing him for attempting to form a new political party in 2007 that could have challenged the existing two party system, rather than for proof of any wrongdoing,” he said in the statement.

The statement is also supported and consented by Peter Bottomley MP, Charles Tannock MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Geoff Wood and Dr Joe Devine of Bath University, Prof David Lewis of London School of Economics, Maggie Bowden, general secretary, Liberation (human rights organisation), and Sadat Sayeed, barrister at Garden Court Chambers, Lincoln's Inn.

Yunus is a political victim

 

[Al-zakir]

BNP secretary general Delwar passes away


Wed, Mar 16th, 2011 3:56 pm BdST
Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Dhaka, Mar 16 (bdnews24.com) —BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain has died in a Singapore hospital, BNP chief's press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel has said.

Sohel told bdnews24.com that Delwar died at Mount Elizabeth Hospital at 3pm (BdST) on Wednesday. He was 78.

The BNP leader's daughter, Delwara Hossain Panna, earlier told bdnews24.com that her father was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital after his condition had deteriorated in the morning.

Taken to Singapore by an air ambulance on Mar 4, the BNP number 2 was kept at the ICU of Mount Elizabeth Hospital until Monday when he was shifted to a cabin following improvement of his condition, she said.

He was admitted to Square Hospital in Dhaka on Mar 3 and kept on artificial respiratory support at its ICU.

The septuagenarian leader came in the limelight during the past military-backed caretaker regime when BNP chief Khaleda Zia and a good number of senior leaders were in jail.

bdnews24.com/sm/sht/mr/1555h

inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon

 

[Al-zakir]

Mahmudur released after 9 months


Thu, Mar 17th, 2011 1:02 pm BdST

Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Gazipur, Mar 17 (bdnews24.com) — Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of Bengali daily Amar Desh, has been released from jail after nine months.

He stepped out from the Gazipur District Jail around 11:30am on Thursday after serving jail-term in a contempt of court case.

His relatives and a number of BNP leaders received him at the jail gate.

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia's energy adviser Mahmudur was arrested on June 2 last year on charge of contempt of court.

The Supreme Court on August 19 sentenced him to six months imprisonment and fined Tk 1 lakh, saying that he needed to serve one month more in prison in case of failure to pay the fine.

As Mahmud did not pay the fine, he had to serve seven-month imprisonment.

A good number of defamation cases were also filed against him.

bdnews24.com/corr/mi/ach/sht/1250h

 

[Skies]

Bankrupt diplomacy of Bangladeshi government

by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
April 6, 2011

Following the latest court decision from Bangladesh Supreme Court on Nobel winning Dr. Mohammad Yunus, Robert Blake, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said the United States had a "strong interest in maintaining close relations" with Bangladesh, which he called "a democratic and moderate Muslim country."

But he said he raised concerns during a visit last month to Dhaka over the treatment of Yunus, who was removed from the helm of Grameen Bank after a feud with the government.

"I warned that a failure to find a compromise that respects Dr. Yunus's global stature and maintains the integrity and effectiveness of Grameen could affect our bilateral relations," Blake told a congressional hearing.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Dr. Yunus, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said his government will closely monitor the developments regarding Prof Muhammad Yunus' removal from Grameen Bank and take up the issue with the Bangladesh authorities in the next few days.

Romano Prodi, former president of European Commission, has written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing hope she would be able to reach an amicable solution to Prof Muhammad Yunus issue.

In the letter, 71-year-old Prodi voiced support for the Nobel laureate and his visionary work in eradicating poverty from the country, reads a statement of the Grameen Bank.

The letter from the two-time former prime minister of Italy came as several governments including France and Spain have expressed concern about Yunus' removal by Bangladesh Bank from the position of Grameen Bank managing director.

The international outcry in favor of Dr. Yunus is well expected as he has been able to establish a huge personal image internationally due to his work in promoting micro-credit globally showing the example of his Grameen Bank. But of course, while claiming series of his 'grand successes' in upbringing Grameen Bank to today's structure, Dr. Yunus and his well-trained PR team has been very successful in projecting bunch of lies to further glorify the image of the founding father of Grameen Bank. Some of these lies include, claiming Sufia Begum to be a model borrower of Grameen Bank, though this woman died of extremely poverty few years back. Dr. Yunus even showed a building at Jobra Village [where Grameen Bank started its journey], claiming it to be owned by Sufia Begum. But, later it was revealed in a number of investigative reports and documentaries that, this was actually a gross forgery of information by Grameen and Yunus. Many of such irregularities were also well documented in Tom Heinemann's documentary, which was aired on Norwegian television.

I am sure, French President Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy or Mr. Robert Blake and others may not be fully aware of these irregularities and virtual corruption of Dr. Yunus inside Grameen Bank. Most surprisingly, Bangladeshi embassy in Washington or Paris must have miserably failed to play any minimum role in at least communicating the other sides of the coin, when Dr. Yunus and his entire team are active in pursuing the international community with their own version of statement, mostly aimed at labeling the removal of Dr. Yunus from the post of Grameen Bank's managing director as mere 'political feud' between him and 'corrupt politicians' in Bangladesh.

Personally I believe Dr. Yunus enjoys a very high status in the eyes of many influential leaders in the world. He has long-time relations with Clinton family in United States as well as good relations with President Barack Obama for years. A number of Senators and members of US Congress, mostly Democrats, are actively lobbying in favor of Dr. Yunus for many obvious reasons. The latest statement of Mr. Robert Blake is just result of such strong persuasion inside Capitol Hill by a large number of friends of Dr. Yunus.

But, traditionally, Bangladesh has always been ignoring any such international outcry or opinion of international community, just because, policymakers here and their sycophants fail to understand the ultimate consequence of ignoring the opinion of the international community. I have personal experience in this case since 2003.

At least a few dozens of US Congress members wrote to Bangladesh government on my behalf since I was arrested on a false case brought against me by BNP-Jamaat government in 2003. The US Congress passed a resolution with 406 votes [HR 64], which was introduced in the house by Congressman Mark Steven Kirk [now Senator from Illinois] and Congresswoman Nita Lowey. Senator Kirk is from Republican Party, while Ms. Nita Lowey is from Democrats. But, such strong bi-partisan resolution is till date totally ignored by the Bangladeshi government, and they are rather continuing to try me in Dhaka Court for criticizing Jihadists and for writing on rise of Islamist militancy inside madrassas. Dhaka's ignorance towards the resolution passed in the US Congress in 2007 is one of the reasons behind Bangladesh's not getting Free Trade Agreement [FTA] for its textile products in the US market. Have any of the Bangladeshi policymakers or their sycophants or those diplomats in Bangladesh mission ever tried to assess this issue? Nah! I can assure, the latest issue of Dr. Yunus will bring nothing good for Dhaka anymore. Bangladesh has already lost the battle internationally in showing any justification of removing him from the position of managing director of Grameen Bank. International community has already accepted the briefs of Dr. Yunus, whatever it is. And of course, it is another failed diplomacy of Dhaka.

Bangladeshi government now needs to come up with a respectable settlement with Dr. Yunus, without wasting any further time, for the sake of greater interest of the country. Continuation of feud with Dr. Yunus will not bring anything good for this nation - anymore!

Bankrupt diplomacy of Bangladeshi government :: Weekly Blitz

 

[akash57]

ADB to help improve Bangladesh's rural infrastructure

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladeshi government Monday signed a loan agreement for 60 million U.S. dollars to upgrade rural roads and market facilities to improve growth and livelihood opportunities, and to cut poverty in underdeveloped areas.

Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Secretary of Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Thevakumar Kandiah, country director for the Manila-based bank's Bangladesh resident mission, signed the loan agreement on behalf of the respective sides.

According to a press release of the bank, ADB will support the Bangladeshi government's Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project, which will be carried out in 21 districts in the northwest and southwest of the country.

It said several studies have confirmed that rural road investments in Bangladesh led to substantial gains including higher agricultural wages and crop prices, a drop in household transport costs and poverty.

Bangladesh has strengthened its rural infrastructure but much of the countryside still remains underdeveloped with just 37 percent of the population having access to all-weather roads, compared with 60 percent in India and 61 percent in Pakistan, it added.

The project will upgrade 800 kilometers of roads to all-weather standard, incorporating climate-proofing features which include the building of cross-drainage structures, and roadside trees, horticulture, and pasture development.

Support will also be given for mapping climate vulnerability in rural areas and the preparation of a management plan for climate change resilient infrastructure.

Source: Xinhua

ADB to help improve Bangladesh's rural infrastructure - People's Daily Online