Maisson

Frontal view of one of BGBs newly acquired Mi-171E helicopters. The BGB has plans for 12 plus helicopters in its organisational structure.

BGB Mi-171E helicopter, yet to be assembled though.

New gas field discovered in Cumilla Independent Online Desk/UNB Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) announced discovery of a new gas field in Srikail of Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila on Tuesday. The digging work started in the country’s 28th gas field, Srikail East-1 gas field, on October 28 last year. “After four months of digging, Bapex found a gas layer last night (8pm),” said Mohsinur Rahman, in-charge of the gas field.

Bapex finds gas in Srikail well STAFF REPORTER, Dhaka Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex), the state-owned gas and oil exploration entity, has discovered new gas reserves in one of the development wells at Srikail gas field in Comilla. Talking to The Independent, Alamgir Hossain, general manager of Bapex, said that they have found new gas reserves at a depth of 3,065 metres. The official said they got the confirmation about the gas at about 8 pm yesterday. “We have received 2200 PSI pressure in the exploration oil,” Hossain said adding that an estimate of the possible gas reserve in yet to be made. “We need a complete analysis to disclose information about the actual gas reserve.”

A China Belt and Road project becomes a corridor to nowhere A planned $62 billion initiative in Pakistan has been beset by delays and a lack of funding The four-times-a-week propeller plane from Karachi whips up a cloud of dust as it lands on an arid airstrip. Passengers cross the tarmac in the scorching sun and enter an arrivals terminal not much larger than a tractor-trailer. Outside, soldiers carrying AK-47s are waiting. This is Gwadar, a remote scratch of land on Pakistan's southwest coast. Its port is the last stop on a planned $62 billion corridor connecting China's landlocked westernmost province to the Arabian Sea, the crown jewel of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, designed to build infrastructure and influence around the world. Plans originally called for a seaport, roads, railways, pipelines, dozens of factories and the largest airport in Pakistan. But, almost seven years after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was established, there's little evidence of that vision being realized. The site of the new airport, which was supposed to have been completed with Chinese funding more than three years ago, is a fenced-off area of scrub and dun-colored sand. Specks of mica in the dirt are the only things that glitter. The factories have yet to materialize on a stretch of beach along the bay south of the airport. And traffic at Gwadar's tiny, three-berth port is sparse. A Pakistan Navy frigate is the only ship docked there during a recent visit, and there's no sign of the sole scheduled weekly cargo run from Karachi. Less than one-third of announced CPEC projects have been completed, totaling about $19 billion, according to government statements. Pakistan bears much of the blame. It has repeatedly missed construction targets as it ran out of money; it got a $6 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year, the country's 13th since the late 1980s. Two successive prime ministers have been jailed on corruption charges. And the Baloch Liberation Army's desire for a separate homeland in Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, has made life there uneasy. In May, militants stormed the city's only luxury hotel, shooting up the white-marbled lobby and killing five people. But setbacks in Gwadar point to larger problems along the Belt and Road. China is scaling back its ambitions, not just in Pakistan but around the world. Its economic growth has slowed to the lowest rate in three decades, inflation is rising and the country has been feeling the effects of a trade war with the US The picture is getting even darker as a coronavirus epidemic that originated in central China threatens to cause further delays and cutbacks. "The biggest constraint for China now is its own economy," says Jonathan Hillman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. In a number of countries, projects have been canceled, downsized or scrutinized. Malaysia renegotiated the terms of a rail link being built by China and scrapped $3 billion of planned pipelines. In Kenya, a court halted construction last year on a $2 billion power plant financed by China. And in Sri Lanka, new leaders said they want to regain control of a port in Hambantota that was leased to a Chinese company for 99 years when the previous government couldn't pay back a loan. That takeover sparked concern in many Belt and Road countries that China's largesse comes with the risk of ceding critical infrastructure. And it has increased wariness about the price of indebtedness to China, which the Washington-based Center for Global Development says puts at least eight nations, including Pakistan, at high risk of debt distress. All that could result in shaving hundreds of billions of dollars off an estimated $1 trillion of planned Belt and Road spending, according to a September report by law firm Baker McKenzie. While the value of signed projects increased last year, data from China's Ministry of Commerce show actual spending stalled at $75 billion in 2019 after falling 14% the previous year. Total spending from the beginning of 2014, shortly after President Xi announced the initiative, through November 2019 is $337 billion, government figures show, far short of China's ambitious goals. Pakistan may be a harbinger of bigger problems, according to Hillman, who directs Reconnecting Asia, a project that tracks Belt and Road progress. "That is generally where the rest of the Belt and Road seems to be going," he says. "It's not dead in the water, but I'm skeptical whether China is going to be able to achieve what it set out to do." Gwadar is shaped like a barbell dangling from Pakistan's coastline. A strip of sandbar and rocks less than 1 kilometer wide at its narrowest connects to a rocky outcrop where the luxury Zaver Pearl-Continental hotel sits like fortress. The city of 140,000 is closer to the Iranian border than to Karachi, a 10-hour drive, in an area so remote it was part of the Sultanate of Oman until 1958. Just getting around is a challenge. Foreign visitors must be accompanied by an entourage of 10 Pakistani soldiers in flatbed trucks. At the deep-water port on the eastern side of the barbell, there's little sign of commerce on a hot October day. The only cargo ship that calls in Gwadar, operated by China's Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., delivers construction materials and sometimes departs with seafood. Occasionally, it doesn't arrive at all. A manager who answers Cosco's phone in Karachi, where the weekly run originates, says the line is operational, but it's up to the captain whether he wants to stop in Gwadar or go directly to Oman. The captain recently had a cold and didn't want to stop, the manager says. Yet Naseer Khan Kashani, chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority, maintains that all is well. Cosco was frustrated by problems with a web-based customs system, but it has been sorted out, he says, sitting in his office at the port. He declines to give figures for cargo volume. "Everything is going to be fine," Kashani says. "The volume of trade is going to increase tremendously." That view is echoed by Zhang Baozhong, chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Co., which operates Gwadar's port and free-trade zone. He dismisses the apparent inactivity with a wave of his hand, comparing it to four years earlier when he first arrived. Then, there was only one flight a week to Gwadar, with a handful of people on it. "My impression was that this place was completely neglected by the whole world," Zhang says. "I felt this was a mission impossible." Now, he says, there's progress—$250 million in port renovations, including new cranes for unloading cargo, a business center, a desalination plant and sewage disposal. "This port is now becoming a node in international shipping," he says. "Of course, the quantity is not big enough, but it takes time. By 2030, we believe Gwadar will be a new economic hub of Pakistan and will be the highest GDP contributor to Pakistan's economy." A free-trade zone was established in Gwadar in 2015, and officials say nine or 10 companies, including a Chinese steelmaker and a Pakistani producer of edible oils, have signed up. But there are no signs of any factories operating. An additional 30 are targeted for the Free Zone's Phase II, closer to the site of the new airport, officials say, and $400 million has been invested so far. Zhang says twice that number of companies applied, including some from European countries. "It's going to be established in the near future," says Kashani. "They talk about CPEC slowing down, but nothing is slowing down." The zones still need critical infrastructure, including water and power, according to CPEC's website. Construction began in November on a 300-megawatt, $542 million plant, which will run on imported coal and is expected to reduce the frequency of power cuts. An acute scarcity of water, with annual rainfall less than 4 inches, was alleviated by freak rains in 2018 that temporarily filled reservoirs, according to Shahzeb Kakar, director general of the Gwadar Development Authority. He says the city will meet future needs by building desalination plants. A plan for a "safe city" project with surveillance cameras may reduce the need for Gwadar to feel like it's under military occupation. "We have three basic issues—power, water and security," Kakar says. "All three of these issues have now been taken care of. Now things are moving in the right direction." Not everyone is so upbeat. Mariyam Suleman, the Gwadar-based editor of the Balochistan Review, says life for people in the area hasn't improved much after five years of planned developments. "Their neighborhoods are still without good infrastructure; there's a sewage issue; there isn't electricity for long hours, especially in summer; and the water crisis has always been an issue," she says. Even if Gwadar weren't under threat of violence and had sufficient power and water to build and operate 40 factories, it doesn't have enough people to work in them. The city's population, mostly fishermen and their families, is about one-fifth that of Washington's. A proposal for a project called China-Pak Hills envisages a gated community with a "Hong Kong financial district" and luxury housing for 500,000 Chinese professionals who could move to Gwadar and provide a labor force by 2022—an influx that wouldn't sit well with either Baloch separatists or the Pakistani government, according to Asad Sayeed, an economist at the Collective for Social Science Research in Karachi. It's also hard to imagine how Gwadar would need Pakistan's largest airport, with capacity for Airbus A300 jets and 30,000 tons of cargo annually. Yet that's the plan for the 4,300-acre area demarcated by razor-wire fence on the outskirts of town. Announced in 2014, the new airport was supposed to have been built by China Communications Construction Co., the largest builder of projects along the Belt and Road, with a $230 million loan from China and a grant from Oman. But construction never started. The following year, the Chinese government said it would convert the loan to a grant, and Pakistani officials said the airport would be completed by the end of 2016, then by October 2017. Still nothing. Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan traveled to Gwadar and broke ground on a new airport site. And a new contractor was announced to take over from CCCC: a branch of state-owned China Railway Engineering Corp. that would also build schools and a hospital. Completion is now scheduled for 2022. During a visit in October, a tractor started up and began driving around the empty, dusty stretch of land without evident purpose. "They are doing as much as they can at the moment to show it is still happening," says Andrew Small, author of the 2015 book "The China-Pakistan Axis" and a senior fellow at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund. Small says Khan's government is simply trying to complete about $20 billion worth of CPEC projects already in the works, mostly power plants, under pressure from China. "The full-scale version is not really in the cards," he says. "It's going to land in a far more modest place than envisaged. It's not going to be a game changer." The CPEC project was intended to reduce oil and gas routes from the Middle East by thousands of miles, a way to cut overland into western China instead of going thousands of miles around South Asia and Southeast Asia by ship. Pakistan was supposed to get 2.3 million jobs and a 2.5 percentage-point boost to its gross domestic product. The deal, negotiated by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and touted in a 2017 communique by his successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after Sharif was jailed on corruption charges, called for the corridor to start taking shape by 2020. It was described as a pilot project, a model for Belt and Road countries around the world. Pakistan, long allied with China to counter the regional weight of India, wanted help developing its mineral-rich but poorest and most restive province. It also wanted to quell separatists in the Baloch Liberation Army who not only attacked the Pearl-Continental last year but also killed four people at the Chinese consulate in Karachi in 2018. The militant group was seeking to halt plans they believed would enable Pakistan's government to take more resources from the area, rather than aid residents. Further attacks in recent months have killed more than a dozen Pakistani soldiers and security personnel. China may have objectives besides better oil and gas routes. Western governments have long been concerned that Belt and Road spending is helping China develop what's known as a "string of pearls"—ports that can be used by its navy, from the South China Sea across the Arabian Sea and on to Africa. Though China and Pakistan both deny any military intentions, Gwadar could be a stopping point on the way from Sri Lanka through the Maldives to Djibouti, where China has built its first military base on the Horn of Africa. China's plans for the Pakistan corridor also include development in Xinjiang province, where it has attempted to curb unrest. The United Nations has estimated that 1 million Uighur people were being held in camps there, which the Chinese government has said was for reeducation and training. If China's interests were purely economic, says economist Sayeed, it could have helped expand the port of Karachi, already connected to the highway from China, instead of seeking to build new roads through desolate, dusty and dangerous Balochistan. Whatever their ambitions, China and Pakistan have had to scale them back. Khan, the former cricketer who was elected in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform and who had criticized expensive infrastructure deals signed with China by previous governments, inherited an economic disaster. To address its current account deficit, his administration has cut imports, depreciated the rupee, slashed spending and raised taxes. GDP growth fell to an estimated 2.4% last year, from 5.8% in 2018, as manufacturing experienced double-digit declines and exports remained flat. As for China, which has become the world's largest creditor, it is refocusing on smaller projects crafted for the needs of recipient countries. Winning hearts and minds has become more important than announcements of gargantuan airports. Instead, according to guidelines issued by President Xi in late 2018, people-to-people exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, and tourism will help make Belt and Road projects "deeply rooted in the hearts of the people." All this seeks to downplay the more strategic aspects of what China has sought to achieve, says Nadege Rolland, senior fellow at the Washington-based National Bureau of Asian Research. "My hunch is there won't be big splashes of money anymore," she says. "The investments were only an incentive." China's ultimate objective, she says, "is not to build connectivity but to increase Beijing's political and strategic influence." This means that even if Belt and Road spending ends up being a third of what was originally forecast, China may still have gotten its money's worth. It will have broadened its influence in countries that are potential providers of natural resources, as well as future markets, and gained allies in international arenas such as the United Nations at a time when the US is pulling back. In Pakistan, an oil refinery in Gwadar and a railway and oil pipeline to China are among projects that have yet to materialize. An expressway connecting the new airport to Gwadar was supposed to have been completed by CCCC in 2018 for $168 million. It's now scheduled to open later this year. In October, dump trucks with piles of rocks were parked on the edge of the existing roadway nearby, but no work was being done. The Chinese site manager says he's too busy to speak. His assistant explains there's no need for an interview, as all information about CCCC's work can be found on the internet. On a visit to Beijing in October, Khan assured Chinese officials that CPEC plans are proceeding. But with Pakistan's budget maxed out and austerity imposed by the International Monetary Fund, it is clear there won't be any big, new projects and unclear how many of the current ones can be finished, says CSIS's Hillman. Still, both Pakistan and China pledged during Khan's visit "to speedily execute the CPEC so that its growth potential can be fully realized," according to an official communique. Full realization may mean figuring out how much can be built to save face, provide some benefit to both sides and declare success. An update on the project from Pakistan's ambassador to Beijing, published in Chinese state media last year, said 11 projects had been completed in the past five years and another 11 were underway, with total spending of $18.9 billion. It said an additional 20 were planned, without giving amounts, details or a time frame. There's no longer any mention of the original $62 billion pledged. Adding to Gwadar's development challenges, other parts of Pakistan such as Karachi have started their own special economic zones. Even if the corridor to Gwadar could be developed and security issues resolved, there's only the Karakoram Highway, an inhospitable, two-lane route through the treacherous mountains separating China and Pakistan. It is prone to landslides and threatened by attacks, and has yet to be connected to roads leading to Gwadar, says Alyssa Ayres, Washington-based senior fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It's hard to imagine this as a viable freight corridor," she says. Hillman has come to a similar conclusion, though one with wider implications. "The Chinese are having some regret about making Pakistan the flagship," he says. "There's a lot more caution on all sides."

Four die in clashes between border guards and villagers in Khagrachhari Published: 03 Mar 2020 03:06 PM BdST Updated: 03 Mar 2020 07:42 PM BdST Four people, including a member of the Border Guard Bangladesh, have died in “clashes between the BGB personnel and villagers” in Khagrachhari, police say. The incident took place around 12pm on Tuesday at Gazinagar in Matiranga Upazila, said Matiranga Police Station OC Shamsuddin Bhuiyan. The police initially confirmed that Ahammad Ali, 25, and BGB battalion member Md Shaon, 40, died on the spot. Ali’s father Musa Mia, 60, and brother Ali Akbar, 27, were also killed in the incident, they later said. A group of villagers clashed with the BGB at the Gazinagar checkpoint leaving Ahammad and Shaon dead on the scene, said OC Shamsuddin. Ahammad was shot but police could not figure out how Shaon died. Musa was carrying logs in a trolley along with his two sons when the BGB members stopped them at the checkpoint, said Musa’s younger brother Md Ibrahim. The two groups had an altercation, he said. “At one point, the BGB members opened fire and killed my brother Musa and both nephews,” he said. He also claimed Musa’s wife Ronsu Begum, 50, died suddenly on hearing the news of deaths of her husband and two sons. The police could not confirm the news of Ronsu’s death but OC Shamsuddin said three of the same family died in the incident that also left the BGB member dead. Two villagers -- Mofiz Mia, 50, and Md Hanif, 28 -- were shot during the fight, said Shamsuddin. They were sent to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital, he said. Another villager, Abdur Rahim, alleged the BGB personnel fired at one stage of the altercation that started after the border guards tried to “confiscate” the logs Musa and his sons had cut from their garden. Farmer Md Faruk, who claimed to be a witness, said the border guards tried to stop one of their colleagues when the BGB man fired his weapon. “That BGB man then started shooting at the other border guards,” he said. Shaon died after being hit by a bullet at the time, the villagers claimed. Asked about the claim that Shaon was shot dead by his colleagues, Saifullah Mohammad Miraz, the commander of 40 BGB Battalion, said they would speak about the incident later. Tension mounted in Gazinagar following the incident. The army’s Guimara region commander Brig Gen Mohammad Shahriar Zaman, Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner Protap Chandra Biswas, Superintendent of Police Abdul Aziz and other top officials visited the site. Brig Gen Zaman said those responsible for the incident will face action. He did not say who were involved in the incident and how. Deputy Commissioner Protap said the authorities formed a three-member committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Rezaul Karim to investigate the incident. The other members are Additional SP MM Salauddin and the divisional forest officer. “We’re trying to contact them and will share the information later,” Shariful Islam, a BGB spokesman at its headquarters, told bdnews24.com. Brig Gen Zaman said those responsible for the incident will face action. He did not say who were involved in the incident. Deputy Commissioner Protap said the authorities formed a three-member committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Rezaul Karim to investigate the incident. The other members are Additional SP MM Salauddin and the divisional forest officer. “We’re trying to contact them and will share the information later,” Shariful Islam, a BGB spokesman at its headquarters, told bdnews24.com. The BGB in a statement said the “untoward incident” occurred when the members of the force “took measures to stop smuggling of illegal logs”. Civilians surrounded the BGB personnel creating tension and at one stage the BGB fired once into the air, the statement said. The civilians snatched away the border guards’ firearms and fired them haphazardly causing the deaths, it said.

Coca-Cola to invest $200 million in Bangladesh The investment from Coca-Cola is a recognition of economic growth of Bangladesh, says its CEO Beverage giant Coca-Cola will invest $200 million in Bangladesh over next five years, said its global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Quincey. The investment from Coca-Cola is recognition of economic growth of Bangladesh, and the company is committed to grow its business here in a sustainable manner, he told a press briefing in the capital during his maiden visit in Bangladesh on Tuesday. In its long journey in Bangladesh since 1950s, Coca-Cola has invested $100 million that helped directly employing over 1,000 local people and more than 13,000 indirectly. Alongside two partner bottlers, Coca-Cola itself opened a state of the art bottling plant in Bhaluka, Mymensingh few years ago. Coco-Cola arranged their Chairman's visit on an occasion to celebrate the milestone of helping 70,000 women grow as small and medium entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. The company, in partnership with international development charity - United Purpose, began its Women Business Centers (WBC) model for that in 2015 and is looking to see the number of rural women entrepreneurs under the program to cross 1lakh this year.

Coca-Cola to invest $200m in Bangladesh over 5 years Published: 03 Mar 2020 04:44 PM BdST Updated: 03 Mar 2020 04:44 PM BdST The Coca-Cola system plans to invest $200 million in Bangladesh over the next five years. James Quincey, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, announced the additional investment on Tuesday. He also announced the economic empowerment of 100,000 women by 2020. “We have an enduring belief that our business is only as sustainable as the communities in which we operate, that means for our business to grow sustainably, our communities must grow also,” Quincey said. In 2015, Coca-Cola launched the first Women Business Centres, a unique model that supports rural Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs by proving skill development and financial assistance support. Each centre provides training, goods and services to hundreds of women throughout their communities. As of now, 240 centres or sub-centres are operating and empowering over 70,000 women across Bangladesh. By the end of 2020, over 100,000 Bangladeshi women and their families will benefit from the centres, according to Coca-Cola. The project is currently active in Jamalpur, Khulna and Bagerhat districts.

Bangladeshi start-ups homing in on billion-dollar valuation: ICT state minister Star Business Report Bangladesh's technology start-ups are catching the attention of venture capital (VC) firms, which have put in about $200 million in funding over the last four years, said ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday "The more the start-up ecosystem is maturing, the more the venture capital funding is coming," he said at the inauguration of local merchant bank IDLC's VC fund at a ceremony held at the InterContinental Dhaka. In just four years Bangladesh has nurtured several companies that are commanding hundred million dollars in valuation. "And within the next few years a few of these might be valued at a billion dollars," Palak added. IDLC's VC fund has kicked off with a moderate sum of Tk 45 crore and a tenure of 7 years. Its sponsors' contribution is Tk 5 crore. "Start-ups can create more employment than any formal sector and we are very proud that the Bangladesh government not only understands the issue but is also pushing for the creation of this culture," said Arif Khan, chief executive officer and managing director of IDLC Finance. IDLC has already got 80 applications from different start-ups. Of them 15 have been shortlisted. Without developing the entrepreneurial culture the country's overall development will not be possible, Palak said. "Venture capitals like IDLC can play a huge role here." Investors from Silicon Valley, Singapore and some other developed markets are coming to Bangladesh often in search of start-ups to invest in. "This is the outcome of an initiative the ICT division has taken a few years back," Palak said, while citing the creation of the Start-up Bangladesh project in 2016 as the turning point. Already the government has approved the Start-up Bangladesh Company (SBCL) with the view to investing in different start-ups. A few hundred crores of taka have been allocated for the company, Palak said, adding that SBCL will be registered within the next few weeks. "SBCL and IDLC can complement each other in establishing the start-up ecosystem in Bangladesh," the minister added. IDLC said through this fund they have plans to make investments in early stage companies that are providing technology-enabled solutions to consumers and businesses of Bangladesh. The fund will focus on certain sectors such as financial technology, entertainment and lifestyle, enterprise solutions, travel and logistics, core technologies, education technologies, food technologies, agricultural technologies, and internet devices. IDLC Asset Management, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDLC Finance, will manage the fund under the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (Alternative Investment) rules. Individual investors can invest in the fund but they will have to come with at least Tk 50 lakh. For institutional investors the number is Tk 2 crore. The investment lock-in period is three years. Khan said they believe that this will be a great opportunity for the investor community to boost the start-up scene as well as generate substantial return for all stakeholders. Young entrepreneurs are really helping in nation-building and they deserve more support from the financial institutions. The objective of IDLC Venture Capital Fund is to provide investors with risk-adjusted returns through investing in, nurturing, and then exiting from early stage companies. "In about 80 per cent of the cases venture capital fund may not work. But if one single start-up clicks it will cover up for the rest." The fund will provide investors with an investment vehicle that is diversified from the usual ones in Bangladesh, Khan added. About the country's move towards digitalisation Palak said they are building 28 ICT parks across the country for start-ups. Already, the government got huge response from the parks that have been made operational. He cited the case of Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park in Jashore, which is packed to the rafters with 50 companies. "But initially when we have set up the park people were teasing us, saying who will go there? But now we cannot manage space as every company is asking for more space," he said, adding that even companies from Dhaka have shifted there. Access to funding is very important for the start-up culture and if financial institutions like IDLC can shoulder that responsibility the country will certainly get new ICT heroes, Palak added. Currently, there are 17 venture capital licence-holders in Bangladesh but only a few are in operation. Apart from those, there are some other foreign ones investing in Bangladesh's start-ups.

The Walton wonder The company launched locally made lifts and all-in-one desktops in local markets at half the cost of imported ones Walton wonder goes global, truly. In 1997 when five brothers led by eldest one SM Nurul Alam Rezvi started importing black-and-white television sets, they could not imagine that they would become so big and a household name in Bangladesh. After their success in selling televisions, they began thinking big and set up Walton Hi-Tech Industries in 2006 to manufacture electronics in Bangladesh. Walton started out with motorcycles and refrigerators, but the motorcycles did not get as much popularity as their refrigerators did. They stopped producing motorcycles after several years but continued to venture into manufacturing many electronic items and air conditioners and compressors for refrigerators. The rest is history. According to Walton, only 14 countries can make compressors for refrigerators. In its steady journey of over two decades, Walton has left behind many international brands in the domestic market. Now it eyes export of "Made In Bangladesh" products to the United States and India. Yesterday, it began exporting smart phones to the US and air conditioners and refrigerators to India. The company also introduced its own lifts and all-in-one desktops in local markets at half the cost of imported ones. At present, Walton holds almost three-fourths of the total share of the local refrigerator market. It has also gained a significant presence in the television and air conditioner markets, with 40 percent and 22 percent shares respectively. The local brand now eyes a one-fourth share in the domestic market for lifts even though it's a new entrant to this market segment. Walton is a company that has been working to ease people's life as well as create employment opportunities in Bangladesh, said SM Nurul Alam Rezvi, vice chairman of Walton Hi-Tech Industries. "Apart from supplying high standard consumer goods to the domestic electronic market, Walton has ensured over 25 thousand direct and about 1 lakh indirect employment for people. Now we are exporting our products abroad," he said. Walton's marketing network spans the country, with more than 350 sales points called Walton Plaza and over 25 thousand dealers. The company currently manufactures almost all types of electronic and electric goods, including fridges, television, air conditioners, desktops and laptops, handsets, home appliances, cables, chemical products, lifts, and even LED bulbs. Officials say, Walton manufactures everything necessary to produce a refrigerator while raw materials are imported. Walton has also started building computer motherboards. Uday Hakim, Walton's chief executive officer, said the firm itself designs and develops its own products, with a strong research and development wing. The journey abroad Walton now has focused on making a strong foothold in the global market. At present, it exports products to 30 countries, with its biggest market in Middle East and Africa. Besides, it sends goods to some European and Saarc countries too. Recently, it has signed a deal with a US company to export "Made In Bangladesh" smart handsets to that country. In order to sell 26 thousand units of air conditioners and 1 lakh pieces of fridges in the Indian markets for the next two years, Walton has also inked deals with Korean giant Hyundai and Indian Reliance. Walton has also signed an agreement to sell Walton products on Amazon. Walton will become one of the top five brands in the world by 2030, said Ashraful Alam, managing director of the company. Walton's factory Walton has set up all of its plants at Kaliakoir in Gazipur at the outskirts of Dhaka. Walton Headquarters, as the factory is named, has been established on 764 acres of land and divided into three divisions – Walton Hi-Tech Industries, Walton Micro Corporation and Walton Digi-Tech Limited. Walton Hi-Tech Industries' top product is refrigerators apart from a good number of air conditioners and lifts. Digi-Tech produces cell phones, computers and accessories. "Dedication and hard labour over these years have put us in this position. We will be Bangladesh's top company in the future," said Ashraful Islam, managing director of Walton. Explaining the reason behind Walton products' growing popularity, he said, "We always try to produce goods according to people's demand, taste and necessity and keep the prices affordable."

Three Indian LoC-1 projects crawling even after a decade The disbursement is very insignificant as only $565.76 million out of $862 million has been disbursed under the first LoC which was signed on August 7, 2010 Three railway projects under the first Indian Line of Credit (LoC) signed a decade ago have not been completed yet because of a delay in loan processing and approval procedure by the Indian authorities. The sluggishness of the Indian contractor agency has also been hampering the implementation of the projects, said the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project director. These three railway projects got $510.12 million from the Indian authorities. A recent LoC review meeting decided that the deadline and estimated costs of the projects need to be revised due to the slow progress. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's Office chaired by Dr Mashiur Rahman on February 6, 2020. The minutes of the meeting were published on February 19. Multiple meetings had been held earlier between officials of Bangladesh and India to identify implementation challenges in the projects, but these did not produce any significant results. Under LoC 1, only 12 projects out of 15 have been completed so far because India has disbursed 66.63 percent of its committed funding. So far, $565.76 million out of $862 million has been disbursed under the first LoC which was signed on August 7, 2010. The Bangladesh government signed an agreement with the Exim Bank of India for $1 billion under the first LoC of which $200 million was declared as a grant by the Indian government. Later, India provided $62 million as an additional fund from the initial amount. However, India has disbursed only 2.38 percent of its committed fund from the second Line of Credit, and 0.03 percent from the third one. So far, only $47.67 million out of $2 billion under the second LoC, which was approved in 2016, has been disbursed. The third LoC was signed in October 2017 and only $1.40 million out of $4.5 billion has been disbursed for it. Incomplete projects of the first Indian LoC Railway officials say the construction of the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project is being delayed due to the slow approval processing and the sluggishness of the Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON). The project, which has two parts, started in 2010 under the first LoC. The first part consists of the construction of rail tracks, a dam, and some civil work. The other part consists of several major and minor bridges, including a bridge over the Rupsa River. However, all construction in the project has been running behind schedule. At present, the piling of the middle pillar of the Rupsa bridge is going on. Installation of the main span is expected to complete by September 2021. Officials said the project proposal needs further revision. The financial progress of the project is about 63 percent and the physical progress is about 61.90 percent. Ramjan Ali, project director of the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project, told The Business Standard, "Right now the main problem in the project is the Indian contractor agency IRCON. They do not work regularly. In the last fiscal year, they did some work reluctantly, and this year they are doing the same. The railway secretary reprimanded the contractor agency on Sunday for their sluggishness." Another incomplete project under the first LoC is the construction of the 3rd and 4th dual-gauge train lines on the Dhaka-Tongi route, and the doubling of the dual-gauge line on the Tongi-Joydevpur route. This project started in July 2012. Railway officials said the financial progress of the project was 22.38 percent and the physical progress was 28.50 percent till December 2019. "The main work of the project started last year. The project was delayed because of the lengthy approval process of the Indian authorities and of the Exim Bank of India. Now the deadline for the project has to be revised," said Ramjan Ali. Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section project begun in July 2011. As of December 2019, the financial progress of the project was 14.64 and the physical progress was 16.30 percent. Railway officials said the contractor firm is yet to mobilise the plants and equipment of the project. Second and third Indian LoCs Only two projects out of 15 under the second LoC have completed. Those are the Procurement of Trucks and the Procurement of Double Decker and Single Decker AC and non-AC Buses. The two ongoing projects are Procurement of Equipment and Machinery for Road Infrastructure, and Establishment of IT/Hi-Tech Park at District Level (12 districts). Nine projects are in the procurement stage and two are in the planning stage under the second LoC agreement. Fifteen projects have been identified under the third LoC. Among them, three are in the procurement stage and 12 are in the planning stage. Construction of New Dual Gauge Rail Line from Bogura to Shaheed M Monsur Ali Station, Development of Rail and Road Based ICD at Ishwardi, Payra Port Multipurpose Terminal, Upgrading of Mongla Port, Bay Container Terminal in Chattogram Port, Establishment of Special Economic Zone (Indian Zone) at Mirsarai, Infrastructure Development for Power Evacuation Facilities of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant are set to be implemented under the third Indian LoC.

7 suspected Rohingya robbers killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’ Independent Online/UNB Seven suspected members of a Rohingya robber gang were killed in a ‘gunfight’ with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on a hill in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar early Monday. The identities of the deceased could not be known yet. Tipped off that a gang of robbers of ‘Jokey Group’ was taking preparation to commit robbery in Jadimora-Mochni area of the hill behind Rohingya camp No 27, a team of RAB conducted a drive there around 4:30am, said Mirza Shahed Mahtab, company commander of RAB-15. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the robbers opened fire on them prompting them to fire back in self-defence that triggered the gunfight, Mahtab said. After two and a half hours of the gunfight, the elite force members recovered seven bodies from the spot. They also recovered two firearms from the spot.

Myanmar army clash with insurgents kills 5 Rohingya Reuters Published at 05:44 pm March 1st, 2020 Myanmar army artillery shells hit the village of Bu Ta Lone, killing four people, the Arakan Army spokesman said in a message At least five ethnic Rohingya were killed and several injured after troops clashed with insurgents in Myanmar's conflict-torn western state of Rakhine, a lawmaker and two residents said on Sunday. Saturday's fighting broke out after Arakan Army rebels attacked a military convoy passing the historic temple town of Mrauk U, the regional MP, Tun Thar Sein, and a spokesman for the armed group, Khine Thu Kha, said. Two military spokesmen did not answer telephone calls from Reuters to seek comment, and the army did not immediately issue a statement on its website. Khine Thu Kha, the Arakan Army spokesman, blamed government troops for the civilian casualties. A government spokesman said he could not comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the details of the attack in the remote area, where journalists are barred and internet access curtailed. Myanmar army artillery shells hit the village of Bu Ta Lone, killing four people, the Arakan Army spokesman said in a message. The MP, a health worker who treated the injured, and a villager said at least five Rohingya, members of a persecuted Muslim minority, had died. There were conflicting accounts of the number of Rohingya injured, which ranged from six to 11, along with several members of the state's Rakhine ethnic majority. Rakhine is the state from which more than 730,000 Rohingya were forced to flee for neighbouring Bangladesh after a military crackdown in 2017 that the UN has said was executed with genocidal intent. Myanmar denies committing genocide. Several hundred thousand Rohingya remain in Myanmar, many confined to camps and villages where they are caught in the middle of fresh fighting between the military and Arakan Army, which recruits from the mostly Buddhist majority in a drive for greater autonomy from the central government. That conflict has displaced tens of thousands and killed dozens. Tun Thar Sein, the Mrauk U MP, said troops responded with gunfire and shelling in two villages on Saturday after rebels attacked their convoy. "In response to that, the military started firing at suspicious locations," he said. A local health worker, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said three of the Rakhine ethnic majority were also injured and one woman had died of cardiac arrest. Trapped by fighting Journalists are blocked from travelling to most of central and northern Rakhine, now in the eighth month of a mobile internet shutdown the government justifies on grounds of security. Many of the several hundred thousand Rohingya still in Rakhine are confined to apartheid-like conditions, unable to travel freely or access healthcare and education. "Five Muslims died as their bodies were found," a Rohingya villager from the area told Reuters on Sunday, asking not to be named for fear of retribution. "Their funeral was held today." He said the bodies had bullet wounds. "We can't go out and we can't go anywhere," he added. "We are just staying safe in our village. If this keeps happening, I feel like there is no hope." Saturday's attack was one of several to kill Rohingya this year. In early January, four Rohingya children died in a blast the military and rebels blamed on each other. Weeks later, two women were killed after shells hit a village in Buthidaung township, two days after the world court ordered Myanmar to protect the minority. At the time, the military blamed the Arakan Army for those deaths, saying it would not have carried out an attack just after a world court verdict in a genocide lawsuit brought by Gambia in November against Myanmar. In January, the International Court of Justice at the Hague had ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya against further atrocities and preserve evidence of alleged crimes.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin cancels India tour amid citizenship protests Ali Asif Shawon Published at 10:15 pm March 1st, 2020 The delegation was to include the speaker, chief whip, secretary of parliament secretariat, and other top officials of the government Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has cancelled her tour to India amid ongoing turmoil across the neighbouring country over their Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), parliament sources have said. “Speaker Dr Shirin was scheduled to lead an 18-member delegation to India following an invitation from Lok Sabha, but the tour has been cancelled,” Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, chief whip of the parliament, told the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday. The delegation was to include the speaker, chief whip, secretary of parliament secretariat, and other top officials of the government, he added. “There will be special session of Jatiya Sangsad on March 22-23 on the occasion of Mujib Year. We need to prepare everything for the special parliamentary session. Keeping this in mind, the delegation led by the speaker will not be travelling to India,” he added. The delegation will visit India in a convenient time after the special session is over, he added. At least 42 people were killed in Hindu-Muslim violence in northeast New Delhi, amid mounting international criticism that authorities failed to protect minority Muslims. The clashes began over a citizenship law that Indian Prime Minister Modi's Hindu nationalist government introduced in December providing a path to Indian citizenship for six religious groups from neighbouring countries - but not Muslims. Critics say the law is discriminatory and comes on top of other measures such as withdrawal of autonomy for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, which has deepened disquiet about the future of India's 200 million Muslims. Critics of the government however blamed this week's violence on members of Modi's BJP, which was trounced in local Delhi elections at the beginning of the month. The violence morphed into street battles between Hindu and Muslim groups, with the police largely ineffective in ending the violence.

'Girls in Bangladesh have more opportunities than in India' Tribune Desk Published at 01:51 pm March 1st, 2020 During his address at the program, he spoke at length on the condition of women and referred to their vulnerabilities during times of strife Eminent economist Amartya Sen has drawn comparison with Bangladesh while referring to problems Indian girls face, and said Bangladeshi girls dealt with the issues less frequently. He was talking to the media after delivering a lecture on the problems faced by girls and women in India, at the closing ceremony of a two-day discussion on "Bharater Meyera: Ajker Chalchitra, Ajker Karanio," organized by Pratichi Trust, at Santiniketan in India on February 29, reports Telegraph India. He questioned as to why India could not do several things that its eastern neighbour had done. “Why has Bangladesh been able to do so many things that we have not been able to. The spread of education among girls in Bangladesh is far higher than both in Bengal and India. They (girls in Bangladesh) have more access to health care. Their life expectancy is higher than girls in India. It is also true that they (in Bangladesh) have more educational opportunities in school. Why do these differences exist? We are both Bangali (people). We need to think about this,” Amartya said. During his address at the program, he spoke at length on the condition of women and referred to their vulnerabilities during times of strife. “When a country is burning all across, as is happening in Delhi now… in such situations, the minority community may get beaten. Alongside, members of the majority community, who are amongst this environment of hooliganism, may also get beaten. But in whichever families these incidents occur, in those families the worst affected are always the girls,” he said. Amartya continued: “So we can say that this is a kind of problem (for them), because amidst such a terrible environment, they (girls) may face more violence than usual…. Often, violence and oppression will be directed more frequently at them. And in several ways, their lives may be made to be unbearable.” According to him, the other problems for a girl child are daily discrimination like lower availability of health care, and nutritious food in comparison with a boy child in the family and the chances of being kidnapped.

Germany suspends development cooperation with Myanmar Star Online Report Germany's Development Minister Gerd Müller said they will suspend all development cooperation with Myanmar until the country ensures safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees. The minister also said Myanmar has an obligation to guarantee that one million refugees can return safely to their homeland, and that it will protect the Rohingyas still living within its borders, according to a press release issued by the ministry. He made the comments during his second day of visiting the largest Rohingya refugee camp in Kutupalong. "I have spoken to Rohingya women today, who have experienced immeasurable suffering. Here in Kutupalong, 800,000 Rohingya people are living in straw huts under the most basic conditions in one of the world's largest refugee camps," said Gerd Müller. Germany will provide 15 million euros in additional funding for education and sanitation measures to help the Rohingya refugees living in the camps in Bangladesh as well as the communities hosting them. The minister also said Europe should now "seriously consider" imposing further sanctions, such as visa restrictions or trade sanctions.

Japanese firms to invest $6.4b Six infra projects will be implemented under the PPP model Rejaul Karim Byron Major Japanese large firms are to invest about $6.4 billion to implement six infrastructure projects in Bangladesh under the public-private partnership model. The implementation timeline for the projects to be implemented by groups such as Kajima, Sojitz and Marubeni will be set at the fourth Bangladesh-Japan Joint PPP Platform meeting in Dhaka next month. The feasibility study, the construction period and other issues will also be fixed at the meeting, said officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the planning ministry. The government had submitted a list of 18 projects to the Japanese government in December 2017. But Shinzo Abe's administration picked the six projects from the list that it deemed suitable for investment through Japanese private investors. The ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism (MLIT) of Japan has selected a consortium of private investors for each project to be led by a major company. The consortium is known as the sub working group (SWG). The Japanese companies, which have set up their offices in Dhaka to start the construction of the projects, will invest under the government-to-government system without participating in any bidding. At the meeting, Dhaka will seek investment for four more projects, which include the Bhola-Barishal bridge and the deep water container terminal at the Payra port. SECOND METRO RAIL The proposed route of the MRT Line-2 is Gabtoli-Mohammadpur-Jigatola-Science Lab-New Market-Azimpur-Palashi-Shaheed Minar-Police Headquarters-Motijheel-Kamalapur-Demra-Chattogram Road covering around 40 kilometres. The cabinet committee on economic affairs has already approved the project. The metro rail is expected to go on commercial operation in 2030. "Japan SWG will make best efforts to secure MLIT's fund from next fiscal year's budget starting from April 2020 for the basic study of the project," said an official of the PMO. The lead company of the project is Marubeni Corporation. The other participating companies are: Oriental Consultants Global, Katahira & Engineers International, Sojitz and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Corporation. OUTER RING ROAD The approximate length of the proposed revised alignment is 130km, of which 46km is new alignment and 84km will follow existing alignment that needs to be improved. The lead company is Marubeni Corporation. Other participating companies include IHI Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Shimizu Corporation and Taisei Corporation. The route of the Outer Ring Road will be Hemayetpur-Kalakandi-3rd Shitalakhya Bridge-Madanpur-Bhulta-Gazipur-Bypail-Hemayetpur. MULTIMODAL HUBS Two multimodal hubs will be built at Kamalapur Railway Station and Dhaka Biman Bandar Railway Station each. The hubs will have road and rail connectivity as well as flyovers for facilitating easy movement of commuters. The lead company of Kamalapur hub project is Kajima, while Sojitz will lead the group of companies that will implement the hub at the airport railway station. DEPOT NEAR DHIRASRAM The government has decided to establish a full-fledged inland container depot near Dhirasram Railway station attached to the Dhaka eastern by-pass road with constant access to container handling and transportation. This will ease the pressure on the Kamalapur ICD. The capacity of Kamalapur ICD is not adequate to serve the increasing share of container handling diverted towards Bangladesh Railway, according to the PPP Office under the PMO. Further expansion of Kamalapur ICD is difficult due to heavy built up of the surrounding area. Apart from capacity constraints, daytime prohibition on movement of commercial vehicles is also very difficult in Kamalapur ICD, according to the PPP Office. The handling capacity of the proposed ICD is 354,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. The lead company is Sojitz. CTG-COX'S BAZAR HIGHWAY The two-lane highway will be turned into a four-lane one under the project. The lead group is Marubeni.

‘Japan Street’ inaugurated in Bashundhara Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito inaugurated the street named in honour of Japanese investors The authorities of Bashundhara residential area have named one of their streets as "Japan Street" to honour the Japanese investors in Bangladesh. Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito inaugurated the street amid on Tuesday. The inauguration ceremony was organised by JCX Developments Ltd. Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, the chairman of Bashundhara Group and JDL Managing Director Md Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury, among others, were present at the event. Expressing his joy over the naming of the street, the Japanese ambassador said, "This is the first time that a street has been named after Japan, though the country has been a development partner of Bangladesh for a long time. I am very delighted." And it will increase Japanese investment in newer sectors including real estate, he added. Thanking the authorities for naming the street, Naoki Ito also said Japan is a tested friend and a big partner of economic development of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, 309 Japanese companies have invested so far and are implementing some of the megaprojects, Ambassador Ito added. Ahmed Akbar Sobhan said Japan is "our old friend" and "we are delighted" to name the street after Japan. "The present government is business-friendly. We are happy that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has created an option of a 20-year-long loan facility with 5 percent interest rate, creating a window of investment in the real estate sector," Akbar Sobhan said. Md Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury said he has built the JCX business tower in partnership with Japan.

Maldives appoints Amal Clooney to seek justice for Rohingyas Second nation after Gambia to take up the refugees’ cause The Maldivian government yesterday said it will formally join The Gambia in challenging Myanmar's 2017 military crackdown that sent around 740,000 Rohingyas fleeing into Bangladesh. Maldives has hired prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to represent it at the UN's highest court in seeking justice for the persecuted Rohingyas. In a unanimous ruling last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Buddhist-majority Myanmar to implement emergency measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingyas -- pending a full case that could take years. Clooney successfully represented former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed and secured a UN decision that his 2015 jailing for 13 years was illegal. With the fall of strongman president Abdulla Yameen in 2018, Nasheed as well as several other dissidents in the Sunni Muslim nation have been cleared of any wrongdoing. Nasheed is currently the atoll nation's speaker in the national legislature. The government said it welcomed the ICJ's decision to order provisional measures to secure the rights of victims in Myanmar and prevent the destruction of evidence in the ongoing case. "Accountability for genocide in Myanmar is long overdue and I look forward to working on this important effort to seek judicial remedies for Rohingya survivors," Clooney was quoted as saying by the Maldivian government. Thousands are suspected to have been killed in the Rohingya crackdown and refugees brought widespread reports of rape and arson by Myanmar's military and local Buddhist militias.

I don't think we should forgo the Arabs if we recognise Israel. Rather we should strive for strong ties with both blocs so that we can become a bridge between the two. Bangladesh is rising fast, the day will not be far when others look to Bangladesh for mediation. Our diplomats and government officials should actively engage with old friends and new ones to develop the relations for economic and political benefit of all concerned partners.

IN Mig-29K crashes off the coast of Goa. Pilot safe. Note this is the 1st accident of the year. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/mig-29k-crashes-off-goa-pilot-safe-indian-navy/articleshow/74265348.cms

Some things never change

Officers do not get kicked out of the Army without any reason. There is definitely more to this story than meets the eye. We may never know because people generally take sides and offer up conjectures to support their own agendas. His Army career is not the issue here however his extra-curricular activities must have caused alarm in the military intelligence wing to warrant his dismissal from service.

Sacked RAB officer returns home after remaining traceless for one and a half years Staff Correspondent, bdnews24.com Published: 22 Feb 2020 05:29 PM BdST Updated: 22 Feb 2020 05:41 PM BdST Sacked RAB officer Hasinur Rahman has returned home after remaining traceless for one and a half years, his family says. Hasinur appeared devastated when he arrived home Saturday, his wife Shamima Akhter told bdnews24.com. Shamima said her husband remained silent on his apparent captivity. “He’s very ill and isn’t saying much. We will take him to a doctor tomorrow,” she said. A group of unidentified people abducted him from Mirpur’s DOHS area and took him away by microbus on Aug 8, 2018. Pallabi Police Station SI Monirul Islam told bdnews24.com that he had spoken to Hasinur's wife twice since Saturday morning. "She told us that Hasinur arrived home at around 12am. However, we did not get to speak with him.” Hasinur was at the Army Training and Doctrine Command when he lost his job after being charged with sedition. He had also worked at the Border Guard Bangladesh.

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