Page 37 - Bangladesh

Thousands of Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from violence in Myanmar: Official

Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya," he told Reuters on Wednesday

71 dead in Bangladesh floods; waterborne disease fears escalate

Currently, over 5,80,000 families are marooned in 11 severely affected districts, urgently needing essential supplies such as food, clean water, medicine, and dry clothing

Bangladesh interim govt warns of legal action for creating instability

Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday warned that it would take legal action against anyone found creating instability in the country that is going through turmoil. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the warning in a circular and expressed concern over instability being created by forced resignations, vandalism, arson, illegal searches, looting and extortion by over-enthusiastic and vested quarters, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The circular said that to create instability, some quarters are putting pressure on the police to file cases and also attacking the accused in court. The government assured that a case filed does not mean random arrests will be made. "All these cases will be properly investigated and appropriate action will be taken," according to the circular. The government said it would identify all the miscreants and take legal action against them irrespective of party affiliation. Bangladesh witnessed massive student protests in mid-July over the controvers

Bangladesh former PM Khaleda Zia acquitted in five separate cases

Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been acquitted in five separate cases, including one filed over allegations of celebrating a fake birthday and another for supporting war criminals, a media report said on Tuesday. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubul Haque's court issued acquittal orders in four cases whereas Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain's court acquitted her in one case on Tuesday, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. The defendant, 79-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Zia, was acquitted after the plaintiff did not appear in court. In August 2016, a case was filed against Zia by a journalist for celebrating a fake birthday. The complaint alleged that although five different birthdates of Zia were found through various sources, none was on August 15. It said that despite this, she has been celebrating her birthday on August 15, which is the national mourning day commemorating the assassination

With 5 new charges, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina faces 89 murder cases

Five new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet minister for the killing of five people during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports. The cases, filed with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday, were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs. With this, the tally of cases filed against Hasina has risen to 89, the Dhaka Tribune reported. The five more murder cases have been filed against Hasina, party general secretary Obaidul Quader, and 339 others, in connection with the deaths of five people during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the Tribune reported. Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government

We are looking forward to working with B'desh interim govt: US diplomat

The US was looking forward to working closely with Bangladesh's interim government and strengthening ties with Dhaka on a range of issues, a top American diplomat said on Monday. US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Helen Lafave made the remarks during her meeting with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Yamuna, the state-run BSS news agency reported. "The US government was happy to congratulate the Chief Adviser and was looking forward to working closely together," the chief adviser's press wing quoted the US diplomat as saying. Helen said the US Embassy in Dhaka will resume this week its consular service to expedite visa processing. She said thousands of Bangladeshi students now study in US universities. She said the US would work closely with Bangladesh in health, education, labour, governance and Rohingya issues, the agency reported. The US is the largest contributor to the Rohingya humanitarian responses, and Helen said the amount of Rohingya monthly food aid has ..

B'deshi journo, woman booked for spreading fake news against Sonia, Rahul

An FIR has been registered by the Bengaluru Police against a Bangladeshi journalist and a woman staffer of an Indian news portal for allegedly spreading fake news and misinformation about Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, both senior Congress leaders. The case was registered at the High Grounds police station against the journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhaury and Aditi - working with the news portal, for sharing his claims on its social media handle, they said. According to the complainant Srinivas G, associated with the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the Bangladeshi journalist allegedly shared a post on his X handle linking Sonia Gandhi to a foreign spy agency. He alleged Choudhary did so with an intention to malign the public image of the Gandhi family and that the journalist had shared such a post to create enmity between two religions. Srinivas charged Choudhury with having made certain claims about Rahul Gandhi. "B

B'desh floods: 59 Killed, thousands rendered homeless in 11 districts

Floodwaters have receded in most areas of the 11 affected districts, but the struggles of those impacted continue, as the disaster has left many homeless, The Daily Star reported.At least 59 people died, and over 53 lakh people in 11 districts were affected by the flood.Many people have been left without homes, and low-income families, especially farmers, have lost not only their houses but also their livelihoods due to the destruction of crops and ponds, as per The Daily Star."Floodwaters swept away my mud house. It's all I had in this world. Now, I have no place to live," said a devastated Nurun Begum, 65, of Mierpara village in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila."I've had to taken shelter on the front porch of one of my neighbour's house," she explained in a helpless voice."My house quickly went underwater after the embankment along the Manu river got breached on August 22. Even though the floodwater has receded, I cannot return home as my house has been damaged," Sujan Mia, an ...

Raymond receiving large number of biz inquiries after B'desh crisis: CMD

Leading textiles and apparel company Raymond has received a "huge number of inquiries" from global firms after the crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh and is ready to grab this opportunity, its Chairman & Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania said. Raymond, which has invested in its garmenting facility to become the third largest suit maker in the world, is ready to "take advantage" from the current situation, Singhania told PTI. Asked if he expects shifting of some garmenting business to India from Bangladesh, he said, "We are hoping so. We are seeing the inquiries. It obviously needs a little bit of time, but we are certainly seeing positive signs on that." India is better-placed with its end-to-end supply capabilities linking all stages as companies as Raymond are present in both fabric and garmenting business, which, in turn, will save time for international brands also on final delivery, he said. "Bangladesh does not have a fabric supply. India has got a great opportunity to .

Bangladesh police orders return of looted arms, ammunition by Sep 3: Report

Bangladesh police on Sunday ordered citizens to return by September 3 all arms and ammunition looted from police stations during the recent violence which led to prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster, according to media reports. The violence that hit the country during the massive quota reform protests saw widespread attacks and looting of police stations across the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported. In a directive, the Police Headquarters said looted arms and ammunition of police must be returned by Tuesday. By Saturday, law enforcement authorities had recovered a total of 3,872 weapons of various types, looted from police stations and offices during the recent unrest, the report said. In addition, as many as 286,216 rounds of bullets, 22,201 teargas shells, and 2,139 stun grenades were also recovered, it said. The directive follows the interim government's earlier decision to suspend the firearms licences issued to all civilians during the more than 15 years of the ...

49 minority teachers in Bangladesh forced to resign since Aug 5: Report

At least 49 teachers belonging to minority communities were forced to resign in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to a minority organisation in the violence-hit nation. The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, said this at a press conference on Saturday, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The organisation's coordinator, Sajib Sarkar, said in the students' violence that ensued for days following the ouster and fleeing of 76-year-old prime minister Hasina, minority teachers across the country faced physical assault, and at least 49 of them were forced to resign. However, 19 of them were reinstated later, the report quoted him as saying. Sarkar added that religious and ethnic minorities have also faced attacks, looting, assault on women, vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and killings during this period. Bangladesh saw several incidents of

Families in Bangladesh fight for justice against forced disappearances

In a dimly lit room in Dhaka, Baby Akhtar clutches a faded photograph of her husband, Tarikul Islam Tara, who vanished twelve years ago after allegedly being taken by Bangladesh's security agencies, a personal tragedy reflecting the broader nightmare of enforced disappearances that has haunted Bangladesh for over the last 15 years. I have been waiting for my husband for the last 12 years. My life and family have been ruined for no fault of mine. We want justice. We hope that the interim government will give us justice. I want my husband back, she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. The fate of hundreds like Tara remains shrouded in uncertainty following the recent ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose administration was accused of presiding over systematic enforced disappearances. With Hasina's departure, the interim government has taken a significant step by forming a commission to investigate these cases. However, for the families still waiting, the commission's

Flood death toll reaches 59 in Bangladesh, affecting over 5.4 mn people

At least 59 people, including six women and 12 children, have died in the devastating floods which affected more than five million people in 11 districts of Bangladesh, officials announced on Saturday. The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, while giving out updates on the flood situation, said the highest deaths were reported from Cumilla and Feni districts, both adjoining the border with Tripura in India on the northeast side, with 14 and 23 deaths respectively. Monsoon rainfall-triggered floods in deltaic Bangladesh and upstream Indian regions have wreaked havoc in the country for about two weeks resulting in deaths and displacement of humans and cattle, and loss of property posing a huge administrative challenge to the newly installed interim government amid a political transition. Bangladesh is crisscrossed by more than 200 rivers, 54 of them being trans-boundary rivers with upper riparian India, in four major basins. A depression (a system that brings in copious rainfall)

Could seek Sheikh Hasina's extradition: Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser

Sheikh Hasina had arrived in India on August 5, following an uprising led by students against her that turned violent

Two new murder cases filed against ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Two new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet ministers for the killing of three people, including two BNP activists, during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports. The cases, filed in Dhaka courts on Friday, were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs. With this, the tally of cases filed against Hasina has risen to 84, including 70 on murder charges, eight on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide, three for alleged abduction, and three on other charges, The Daily Star newspaper reported. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist Matiur Rahman filed the case in Kishoreganj over the killings of fellow party workers Zulkar Hossain, 38, and Anjana, 28, on August 4. According to the case statement, a ...

Who speaks for Bangladesh Hindus? This necessitates raising questions

Do we remember when an Indian PM last called his American counterpart for help in protecting Hindus in our neighbourhood? Does India want to be the OIC equivalent for Hindu interests?

India's 'uninterrupted dialogue' with Pakistan is over, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S says India will not overlook terrorism to improve relations with Pakistan

Floods in Bangladesh impacting cotton import, shipments may divert to India

Some cotton shipments could get diverted to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, commodity analysts said

Bangladesh yearns for new political force post 'Monsoon Revolution'

After Bangladesh's recent political upheaval following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the deeply polarised country is yearning for a new political force to emerge beyond the traditional Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party binary that aims to create a discrimination-free and more inclusive society. We have seen the BNP, Awami League, and Jatiya Party come to power and fail us for decades. It is time for someone new to lead our country, says 60-year-old Ahmed, a rickshaw-puller in Dhaka, echoing a sentiment shared by many in present-day Bangladesh. After unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina, 76, resigned as prime minister and fled to India. The interim government led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus aims to reform Bangladesh's fractured institutions and restore public trust by ensuring a free and fair election, which, if successful, would mark a significant achievement in a nation with a history of electoral malpractice. Yet, people ar

Here's why Bangladesh's new govt can't afford to let chaos, extremism reign

Any expression of concern about Bangladesh's path causes some, particularly in the country's active and vocal diaspora, to fume