Maisson

BGB Mi-171E on tarmac.

Bangladesh signs €360m deal with ADB for international road corridor Published: 15 Mar 2020 10:18 PM BdST Updated: 15 Mar 2020 10:18 PM BdST The government has signed a €360 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank or ADB to upgrade the Dhaka-northwest international trade corridor. Economic Relations Secretary Fatima Yasmin and ADB Country Director Manmohan Parkash signed the deal at a ceremony in Dhaka on Sunday, according to a media release from the ADB. The assistance forms the second tranche of $1.2 billion multi tranche ADB loans for the Second South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation or SASEC Dhaka-Northwest Corridor Road Project. It is part of a priority international transport corridor that connects Bangladesh with Bhutan, India, and Nepal, Manmohan said. The project will further strengthen regional connectivity and boost trade along with the “second busiest road artery in the country”, he said. Transport costs, travelling time, vehicle emission, congestion and accidents will be reduced after the completion of the project, he added. The project is expected to help Bangladesh build an efficient and modern transport system by upgrading a 190km section from Elenga via Hatikumrul to Rangpur to a four-lane highway.

Unequal Bangladesh-India relationship Golam Mustafa | Published at 12:00am on March 15, 2020 For the diplomatic relationships between the two countries to be considered as friendly and equal, any agreement should be negotiated on equal footing by both parties. That has not been the case of India and Bangladesh, writes Golam Mustafa THE bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and India has been a cause of public concern, particularly among students. In 2020, a number of events have further stirred the debate including the escalation of border killings by the Indian Border Security Force (in January, at least 15 Bangladeshi citizens are killed), the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Registrar of Citizens and subsequent protest in India and finally, the government’s invitation to India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, defying public sentiment against him for birth centenary for the founding president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. For the diplomatic relationships between the two countries to be considered as friendly and equal, any agreement should be negotiated on equal footing by both parties. One country should not meddle in the neighbouring country’s policy and internal affairs. One country should not spread propaganda about the other nation. However, our relationship with India is mostly one-sided. Every bilateral agreement has mostly served the interests of India. Nearly 50 years have passed after the independence but we are yet to get the fair share of water of the River Teesta. However, a few months ago, during the India tour of the prime minister, the government had signed a MoU allowing India to take 1.82 cusec water from the Feni River, but the issue of River Teesta’s water deal was not even on agenda of bilateral meeting. Why? There are plenty of examples which demonstrated how the Bangladeshi power quarters, for their partisan interest, compromised the national political and economic interest and served Indian interests. It is because of the India appeasement policy of the government, people of Bangladesh has been a victim of India’s aggression for a long time. Bangladesh, as a state, has been failing over and over again to negotiate an equal and dignified relationship with India. India’s dominance over Bangladesh explicit in the unequal trade deals, cultural aggression, unjust intervention in Bangladeshi politics, border killings and the unresolved water share deal of 54 trans-border rivers. A major reason for these is the Bangladeshi power quarters’ tendency to appease India sacrificing the sovereign interest of the nation. Whenever Indian power quarters pass controversial laws or policies that go against the public and face local and regional pressure, they start spreading propaganda against Bangladesh. Indian citizens are not even well informed about the border killings because of their corporate controlled media. Indian media pays biased attention to the story BSF presents. India is currently facing severe job crisis. More people are unemployed than any time in their history. Their economy is at a dangerous juncture. One of the top banks of India is bankrupt. Many Indian economists say the lowest growth rate after 1978, in 2019, the government is engaged in the politics of polarisation. The Bharatiya Janata Party led government wants to return to power by hiding their failure. So, to secure their vote banks, the government passed the sectarian, which many termed as anti-Muslim and fundamentalist, laws like CAA-NRC. A prime reason behind these laws is keeping Muslim as the second class citizens in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party, in order to remain in power, has resorted to communal hatred, anti-Muslim sentiments and communal violence. Religious sentiment and nationalism is being deliberately woven together for the propagation of the political agenda. Muslim citizen’s criticism of the government is portrayed as seditious, ‘anti-India’ or ‘anti-nationalist speech’. BJP activists launched attacks on the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and left over 30 union leaders and members, as well as teachers injured in January, 2020. A recent ruling bans foreign students from taking part in any political activities at any Indian university. A few days ago, a Bangladeshi student was rusticated for capturing photos. There is no scope for the foreign students to express their opinion. Politics of identity, in the name of racial purity, is becoming part and parcel of populist politics not just in India, but globally. People with different ethnic or religious identity are deliberately made enemies of the majority. Hate crimes are committed with the backing of the state and political parties. Which court will roll trial of these hate crimes? This is called fascism. A world driven by money and power cannot create congenial and equal atmosphere for all. However unpleasant it sounds, when India is going through oppressive system designed by the BJP government, Bangladesh is experiencing something similar — the rule of the Awami League led government. Student wings of these two parties — Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Bangladesh Chhatra League — resort to violence to maintain their dominance. We have seen how BCL launched attacks on the Dhaka University Central Students Union vice-president Nurul Hoque Nur, similarly, the ABVP’s masked activists left JNU VP Oishi Ghosh and her fellows injured. A number of Indian states have recently experienced ‘communal’ violence where more than 50 people were killed. Why international quarters are silent at these grievous crimes of the Indian government? South Asian and world leaders should take necessary measures to stop the killings. Bangladesh government should protests at the killings and mobilse international support to pressure India to stop the attack on its citizens. Otherwise, as Bangladesh shares land border with India, effects of such violent and sectarian policies will come to our country. Protests sparked across India against the CAA-NRC. I think that all the neighbouring countries will be affected by these. In the current context, if any Hindu becomes victim of any situation in this region, the BJP government would capitalise on it by spreading further communal hatred. Different quarters in Bangladesh would also capitalise on the situation. Meanwhile, after mosques were attacked in India, a Hindu temple was vandalised in Chittagong. In cases of violence on Hindu or ethnic minority communities in India, there are some Islamic political groups and parties in Bangladesh who would try to ‘retaliate’ and further this politics of hatred. From history, we know, communal violence has snow-ball effects and hatred begets more hatred. We should be deeply concerned, alarmed and act quickly to not fall in the ideological trap of BJP. India constructed damns on trans-border rivers and unfairly controlling the water flow causing distress to Bangladesh farmers and ordinary citizens. By violating international water laws, India made Farakka damn, Teesta damn, Tipaimukhi damn and Ganga damn. They keep the gates closed during winter seasons and opened them during monsoon creating floods and draught in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the government in Bangladesh sees India as friend. The foreign policy of Bangladesh has allowed trade deficit with India, China and other states which should be reduced. Such deficit in trades between India and Bangladesh is in fact increasing and currently hovers between USD 8-10 billion. In the black market, this deficit is several times higher. Millions of Bangladeshis are unemployed while nearly half a million Indian’s are working in Bangladesh and a mere 10 per cent of them are legal. Man power exchange should be done protecting the interest of both the countries. Bangladesh signed an agreement with India allowing them to establish radar system in the Bay of Bengals to stop foreign invaders. Interestingly, Indian authorities will look after the system and they would ‘allow’ Bangladesh to have the information upon request. Now the question is we are surrounded by Indian land on three sides, so only intrusion we can expect is Indian intrusion. In this sense, allowing India to establish radar system to refrain them from entering Bangladesh exposes our weak-willed foreign policy. Bangladesh government seem unmoved by the rising number of border killings. In the January 2020 alone, BSF killed more than 15 Bangladeshi citizens and Bangladesh did not take any step. In the last decades, India’s border forces killed more than 1300 Bangladeshi citizens and no one has ever faced trial for the killings. Our state has failed to address this issue. Under such hostile scenarios, labelling India as friend is nothing but a mockery to the family of the victims. Bangladesh power quarters prefer getting help from states like China, India, the USA, Russia or even Myanmar to secure their power, instead of creating a congenial democratic political atmosphere inside the country. To ensure the dignity of the citizens and sovereignty of the state, the power quarters should reduce their dependency on foreign government. The government is bound to build an equal relationship with India and the citizens should create pressure on the government to do so. We can call India friend only when they stop all aggression on Bangladesh. All the border killings should see judicious trial and verdict. Water distribution of the 54 shared rivers should be resolved. Bangladesh should stop employing Indian citizens when local youths are unemployed. The government should ensure that we can form a relationship of dignity and equality with India where both the country’s interests are ensured.

215 new Police SP posts created The ministry of home affairs today created 215 new posts of superintendent of police in its organogram. With the latest additions, the total posts in Bangladesh Police from constable to inspector general of police stands at 2,12,744, according to a circular signed by Tahmina Begum, deputy secretary of the home ministry. Nearly one and half years back, 230 police officials got "in-situ promotions" as superintendent of police (SP) from their posts of additional superintendents, but they could not take charge as no such posts were vacant at the time. The police official who got the "in-situ promotion" will be appointed against the newly created 215 SP posts, a source at the police headquarters told The Daily Star seeking anonymity. An "in-situ" official is someone who continues to hold the same office and performs the same duties even after being given a higher position. As a result, these officials are still performing their duties as additional SPs, which has been demoralising for them, the source said. The 230, however, have been enjoying all the financial benefits of an SP since the promotions. Aiming to resolve the crisis, the PHQ recently proposed creating the new SP posts in the force after removing the same number of additional SP posts from the organogram.

Modi’s canceled Bangladesh visit is an opportunity Bangladesh’s decision to cancel the public celebration event of ‘the Mujib centennial’ due to public health concerns after the detection of three cases of coronavirus in the country is a welcome development and deserves appreciation, but it has also saved the government from a political embarrassment. The centennial of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—the leader of the nationalist movement which established independent Bangladesh in 1971—was planned by the government headed by his daughter, Sheikh Hasina. The government declared the year beginning March 17 “the Mujib Year.” The inaugural public event was supposed to be attended by several international dignitaries, including the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi’s visit became a controversial issue and provoked large-scale demonstrations and protests in Bangladesh. In the past week, left wing political parties, Islamists, some members of civil society, and students demonstrated and demanded that the government of Bangladesh withdraw the invitation. Protesters had planned further demonstrations in the days ahead of Modi’s arrival at Dhaka. The large-scale demonstrations against Modi and scathing criticisms of the invitation have surprised many observers outside the region. The governments of Bangladesh and India have described the current relationship as in a “golden era.” Modi’s previous visit to Dhaka in 2018 caused no such reactions. Such massive protest against an Indian prime minister’s state visit in any country was unprecedented. This reaction in Bangladesh should give a pause to the Indian government. Although spurred by recent events in India, Bangladesh’s domestic political environment and the widespread perception of the Bangladesh-India relationship undergirded these protests. The cancellation of the event and Modi’s visit will push the issue out of the news cycle, but ignoring it will be a mistake. Instead, it provides both Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League and the Indian policymakers an opportunity to assess the underlying aspects. The opponents of the visit highlighted the recent actions of the Modi government against the Muslim community in India, including the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as the reasons for their campaign. Violence against Muslims in Delhi by the BJP activists in February galvanized last week’s protests in Bangladesh. The Indian government repeatedly assured that the NRC and CAA will not affect Bangladesh, but such assurances have not convinced Bangladeshis, as there are reports of Indians migrating to Bangladesh in fear of being persecuted and the virulent rhetoric of BJP leaders that ‘illegal migrants’ are from Bangladesh; BJP leaders have described them as ‘termites’ and threatened to throw them in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladeshi officials have echoed the Indian position that the NRC and CAA are India’s internal matter, yet their discomfort is palpable as Hasina commented that ‘it was not necessary,’ and Bangladesh cancelled trips of several ministers since the passage of the CAA and Delhi violence. In the wake of these protests, the ruling Awami League doubled down on the invitation and the Secretary General Obaidul Quadir said that, “refraining from inviting the Indian prime minister would have been an act of ingratitude.” The ruling party and their supporters have alleged that their opponents are trying to disrupt the “Mujib Year.” Criticism of Mujib has become a sensitive issue since Hasina returned to power. The draconian Digital Security Act (DSA), enacted in October 2018, has made “negative propaganda” about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a punishable offence. Several people have been arrested under the law in the past year. Many protestors had couched their opposition in language which they hoped would appeal to Mujib’s daughter and protect them from being labeled as “anti-government,” a potentially dangerous label. They insisted that Modi’s divisive communal politics are inconsistent with the secularist ideals of Sheikh Mujib. It failed to sway the government. Tying the criticism to Mujib’s ideals to avoid persecution is a testimony to the remarkable shrinking space for dissent in Bangladesh. Since the 2014 election—boycotted by opposition—the country has taken a turn to electoral authoritarianism. The 2018 election—described by The New York Times as “farcical” and The Economist as “transparently fraudulent”— exacerbated the situation as freedom of press and assembly has diminished, opposition has been neutered, and extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances have skyrocketed. The government and the ruling party activists have previously ruthlessly quelled grass roots movements such as the road safety movement in 2018. In the absence of a robust opposition party which can take on the government, issue-based social movements have become the means to vent resentment against the government. The demonstrations against Modi’s visit were in part fueled by this domestic political environment. Many Bangladeshis view the invitation as an unqualified endorsement of India by the Hasina regime. Expressing criticisms of India has become perilous. Last October, an engineering student was tortured to death in his university dormitory by student activists from the ruling Awami League after posting a comment on Facebook critical of the agreement signed between India and Bangladesh during Hasina’s visit to India. The widespread perception that the relationship between these two countries have become unequal and that Bangladesh had given more to India than it had received is bolstered by unresolved issues between the two countries. Killing of Bangladeshi civilians on the India-Bangladesh border has increased three-fold to forty-one in 2019 despite repeated promises of the Indian authorities to the contrary. In the past five years, 158 Bangladeshis have died in the hands of the Border Security Force. Recent claims by the Indian foreign secretary that the killings are of equal numbers of Indians and Bangladeshis is not borne out by facts and has irritated Bangladeshis further. A water sharing treaty for the Teesta river—supposed to be signed in 2011—has yet to see the light of day. Bangladesh, however, has allowed India to withdraw water from the Feni River. Since Hasina came into power, Bangladesh has allowed India to transit its goods through Bangladesh and permitted transshipment of Indian goods via Bangladeshi seaports without charging customs duties and transit fees. Bangladesh has enabled Delhi to set up coastal surveillance system radar in Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal. India’s support to Myanmar on the Rohingya crisis, however, does not augur well with Bangladeshis. Recent demonstrations in Bangladesh against Modi’s visit speak volumes, literally and metaphorically. Instead of dismissing them as a conspiracy, both countries will be better served if their policymakers listen and take this opportunity to reassess their relationship and the domestic political environment in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Navy and Army have conducted the first ever joint defence exercise with the US and the UK military forces to promote regional stability as well as ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. https://www.defseca.com/military/tri-nation-special-forces-exercise-held-in-bangladesh/

The colours are fine and layout is not a problem for most. Its not difficult to share image or insert multiple quotes. Click the relevant options in the post editor to do so. For inserting multiple quotes click the "+" button located before the quote option. If you can't find a relevant thread use the search option. You will see most of these problems relate to you instead of the forum system.

The US Navy's LCS was a white elephant. Its too expensive, overly complicated and not reliable at all, which is why four of the class are being decommissioned prematurely. Bangladeshi shipyards will build 6 large OPV's, which will help mitigate deep water presence crisis within the BCG. Helicopters are also being added.

Ecnec clears 9 projects worth Tk 24113.27 cr Published at 05:33 pm March 10th, 2020 Of the approved nine projects, seven are new while two others are revised projects The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved nine projects including Matarbari port development project worth Tk 24113.27 crore. The approval came from the weekly Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Agriculture Minister M Abdur Razzaque, Information Minister Mohammad Hasan Mahmud, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, among others, attended the meeting. Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of nine projects were approved involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 24,113.27 crore. “Of the total project cost, Taka 6,151.26 crore will come from the Government of Bangladesh, Taka 2,213.25 crore from the concerned organization’s own fund while the rest of Taka 15,748.76 crore as project assistance,” Of the approved nine projects, seven are new while two others are revised projects. The Chattogram Port Authority and the Roads and Highways Division under the Ministry of Shipping will implement the Matarbari Port Development project by December 2026. The Planning Minister said the main objective of the project is to enhance the cargo handling capacity of Bangladesh through constructing this Matarbari Port including link road and thus fulfill the demand of international trade as well as facilitating speedy port services with the neighboring countries. Mannan said the Matarbari sea port would be the country’s 4th port after Chattogram, Mongla and Payra and it would be built as a huge port due to the growing pressure of economic activities. “This is another ‘dream’ project for the country and it will further strengthen our journey towards the ocean as well as boost our trade and commerce,” he said. The Planning Minister said of the total project cost of Taka 17,777.16 crore for the Matarbari project, Taka 2,671.15 crore will come from the Government of Bangladesh portion, Taka 2,213.24 crore from the CPA while the rest of Taka 12,892.76 crore from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Another official at the Planning Commission said that this Matarbari Port would fulfill the government’s aspirations for a deep sea port side by side creating opportunities for anchoring container-laden vessels, open goods-laden vessels and oil tankers at the port jetty. Besides, this port will minimize the pressure on the Chattogram Port alongside meeting the growing demand of the country’s import and export activities. Goods transportation to and from the potential industrial estates at Matarbari and Moheshkhali will also be facilitated once this port is established. The Matarbari Port will have two separate Terminals having 300 meter and 460 meter length where ships having 8,000 TEUs containers could anchor due to its 16-meter draft at the port channel. The main project operations include construction of a multipurpose terminal and a container terminal, procurement of necessary cargo handling equipments and construction of 26.7 kilometer link road.

ECNEC approves Tk 177.77 billion Matarbari deep-sea port Published: 10 Mar 2020 04:28 PM BdST Updated: 10 Mar 2020 04:33 PM BdST The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council has approved the country’s first deep-sea project that is estimated to cost Tk 177.77 billion. The Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide Tk 128.93 billion for the port to be built in Matarbari of Cox’s Bazar, Planning Minister MA Mannan said at a media briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday after a meeting. The government and the Chittagong Port Authority, the agency assigned to implement the project, will provide a total of Tk 48.84 billion. The project is expected to be complete by 2026, according to a project document. The port will be equipped with two terminals: one is 300 metres long and the other is 460 metres long. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting that approved the project.

BTRC wants to pull the plug on 2G handsets Muhammad Zahidul Islam Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is apparently discouraging use and trade of second generation (2G) mobile phones, popularly known as basic or feature phones, as per letters it recently sent to listed handset importers, producers and vendors. Mobile operators welcomed the move but the letter recipients say it would not be a workable approach to popularising smartphones. About 70 per cent of the mobile phone users are still using 2G devices as most have no demand for higher technology and the telecom regulator should not deprive them, they said. In the letter, the BTRC is said to be witnessing 2G devices dominating the market. "The 3G mobile network has flourished in the market and 4G services is also being offered and the government also has a promise to enrol 5G services by 2023, for which basic phones need to be discouraged," it read. The vendors are seeking clarity on the term "discourage". Currently the letter bears no meaning, said Rezwanul Haque, chief executive officer of Transsion Bangladesh, which assembles 2G handsets of iTel brand and 4G ones of Techno brand. "We have a huge number of mobile phones users in the country who do not need smartphones at all as they are using mobile phones only for talking. They even cannot text or save phone numbers in their handsets so why will the regulator make them use smartphones?" A basic phone costs only Tk 750 but for smartphones at least Tk 3,000 is required and this extra spending will either be meaningless or unbearable for them, said Haque, a former general secretary of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association. There are also challenges regarding network quality across a huge part of the country. "This is why the youths who need or even want to use smartphones are not doing so," Haque added. Dismissing the analysis, mobile phone operators said it was a much-needed direction and true advancement towards the vision of a Digital Bangladesh. Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer at Robi, said their 4G network currently covers 75 per cent of the country's population, whereas 4G handset penetration had stalled at less than 30 per cent of mobile subscribers. "This clearly shows that a significant portion of our network capacity is remaining underutilised." Moreover, although Robi has become the country's first mobile carrier to introduce voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) technology, it does not have that much customers with VoLTE-enabled handsets, he said. The VoLTE service will only benefit a small portion of the population, said the country's second largest carrier. "In the interest of implementing the vision of Digital Bangladesh, we need to make an all-out effort to create the eco-system for a full-fledged digital society by increasing the use of smartphones in the market," Alam added. Some 3.28 crore handsets were sold in the country in 2019, about 2.51 crore of which were basic phones, according to local manufacturers and importers. About 54 lakh smart devices were locally manufactured last year, while another 24 lakh were imported via the legal and grey channels, according to industry insiders. "This picture actually tells the real truth of Bangladesh, that the smartphone market has immense potential to grow," Haque said. For that the industry needs to work together though. "We never think that the market will be corrected only by issuing directives or orders." Mobile carriers need to improve their quality and at the same time more and more of the digital services need to be on board so that customers feel the need for smartphones, Haque said. Bangladesh witnessed the launch of 3G services in October 2012 and 4G in February 2018. The regulator is now formulating the 5G guidelines.

Are you familiar with the the functions and missions of a coast guard?

Mobile operators cool down on investment plans Inhospitable regulatory regime to blame The mobile industry's combined investment fell 19 per cent year-on-year to Tk 3,695.72 crore in 2019, the lowest in recent years, as the regulatory regime continues to spook the foreign owners of the top three carriers. Mobile carriers are not investing adequately into their network, a development that is directly hampering their service quality and customers are getting substandard service, industry insiders say. The scenario was totally depressing last year because of the restriction on the top players that prevented them from setting up new towers. Under the new licencing regime, only dedicated tower companies can establish mobile network infrastructure; mobile operators are barred from getting into the business. Mobile operators say the regulatory situation has become unbearable and if it persists, the country will suffer and customers are already suffering. "Last year was a very dim year for investors," said SM Farhad, general secretary of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh. With the restriction on the two top operators -- Grameenphone and Robi -- coupled with the fact that the tower companies are yet to be operational, the carriers could not expand network during the period and this affected investment and service quality as well, he added. Regulation is the single most important driver in the telecommunication sector, said Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi, the second-largest operator. "Any action by the regulator can have a positive impact or a dire impact." Robi has cut back on its investment the most last year: about 32 per cent. In 2019, it invested Tk 1,421.3 crore and had planned to put in another Tk 1,200 crore but could not do so because of the regulatory restriction centring on its audit claims of Tk 867.23 crore by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Following a High Court order recently, Robi has paid two instalments of Tk 27.60 crore each to the BTRC and got no-objection certificate from the regulator after seven months, during which time its network expansion and maintenance came to a halt. Robi's investment previously surpassed all other telecom investors', making it the leading foreign direct investor for five consecutive years to 2018, Alam said. "It is unfortunate that regulatory actions disrupted our 2019 investment plan, pulling us and the industry down by a few years. It was an irrecoverable loss. We were unable to increase the capacity of our network or resolve the issues of customer complaints," he said in a statement. Robi requested for a more cohesive approach and the formation of a coherent industrial policy for the telecoms sector, so that it is able to provide much-needed boost to the vision of the government, in terms of investment ability, innovation adoption, network capability and attractive unit pricing, Alam added. Grameenphone's investment declined more than 13 per cent in 2019 from the previous year, while Banglalink's investment grew 4.37 per cent. Banglalink made significant investment in 2018 to purchase spectrum in order to roll out 4G, which ultimately resulted in an enhanced quality of service for customers, said Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of the company. The country's third largest carrier invested Tk 3,524.16 crore in 2018, which included the spectrum charges it paid for buying 10.6 MHz spectrum. Without the spectrum charges, the investment stood at Tk 776.61 crore in 2018. "Regrettably, the less favourable regulatory environment made it challenging for Banglalink to invest in rolling out more sites recently." In 2019 it invested Tk 810.62 crore. "However, we remain hopeful that the government will take our challenges into consideration and take necessary steps such as implementing the SMP guidelines that would encourage small operators to invest further in future," Rahman said in reference to the rules on the significant market player. Banglalink's continued investment has allowed it to meet the growing demand from its customers for digital services, he added. Market leader Grameenphone declined to comment. The carrier has yet to get the NOC's after depositing Tk 1,000 crore to the BTRC in line with a court order. The telecom regulator imposed a bar on Grameenphone and Robi in July last year and the bar is still ongoing for the Norwegian Telenor Group subsidiary. A major chunk of the investment of mobile operators goes into network expansion and building towers to improve coverage and service quality. Upgradation and maintenance of towers also require additional investments. In order to make sustainable businesses, mobile carriers will have to invest an adequate amount to satisfy their customers, said Md Jahurul Haque, chairman of the BTRC, when contacted. The telecom watchdog regularly runs the quality of service drive tests. "We will punish operators if they fail to meet the quality. We will not go to find out how much they have invested or not -- our main agenda is to ensure proper service to the customers." The operators are cutting back on investment and repatriating more sums, he said. "This is a common trend among the telecom operators. This needs to be discussed."

Bangladesh Navy has no option but to purchase more second hand warships. Officers from the Navy went to China to inspect some of their Type 054s and have also been to Italy for the mentioned vessels. It will take a good 10 years before CDDL delivers all six guided missile frigates and meanwhile the existing warships such as BNS Osman will have to be replaced.

I doubt Modi will be attending and even if he does it will be a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Hasina mostly. Mujib Barsha big event postponed, large public gatherings avoided over coronavirus scare Published: 08 Mar 2020 11:34 PM BdST Updated: 09 Mar 2020 01:11 AM BdST The authorities have postponed the key event of Mar 17 at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka designed to officially launch the celebrations of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary after Bangladesh recorded its first coronavirus cases. All large public gatherings will be avoided during the celebrations of the day, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, the chief coordinator of the national committee to implement the Mujib Barsha programmes, said at a news conference in the capital on Sunday. The decisions to limit the gatherings were taken in a meeting chaired by the committee’s chief and Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Ganabhaban residence. The other daughter of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Rehana, was also present. “The decisions have been made to spare the people of sufferings as you know that public interest is the top priority of the prime minister,” Kamal said. The programmes of paying respects to the Father of the Nation at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi 32 and his grave in Gopalganj’s Tungipara, however, will go ahead like every year, Kamal said. The nation was set to kick off the celebrations through a huge gathering at the National Parade Ground in Tejgaon on the 100th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. A countdown to the beginning of the celebrations has also been launched. But the spread of the coronavirus from China to almost 100 countries made uncertain the plan for grand celebrations as the authorities across the world have put harsh travel restrictions and cancelled public events to contain the outbreak. President Md Abdul Hamid, Hasina, her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and many other leaders from the region and beyond had been scheduled to attend the programme. Kamal said the event has been pushed back considering the health risks. He said small events on a limited scale will be organised to celebrate Bangabandhu’s birth centenary at the educational institutions and elsewhere, keeping the coronavirus situation across the globe in mind. Other programmes to kick off the celebrations included a 31-gun salute in Dhaka and other places at sunrise, and hoisting of the national flag at all government and non-government buildings. An event marking the National Children’s Day would be held in Tungipara, the birth place of Bangabandhu. Special prayers would also be held throughout the country. The health authorities earlier on Sunday confirmed Bangladesh’s first three cases of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 106,000 people and caused over 3,600 deaths across the world after originating in China by the end of last year.

From our strategic planning perceptive I believe we can accommodate French, Italian and US suppliers in to the Bangladeshi defence sector: Multi-role combat aircraft (heavy): Eurofighter (Italy/UK) x 32 Maritime strike fighter: F/A-18E/F (USA) x 18 Attack helicopter: AH-64E (USA) x 16 MRSAM: Aster-15 (France) x 3 regiments ASR: Leonardo RAT-31DL (Italy), Groundmaster 400 (France) x 3 radar units General purpose frigates: Bergamini class (Italy) x 6 Anti-submarine warfare frigates: Maestrale-class frigate (Italy) x 4 Offshore patrol vessel: Comandanti class and Sirio class (Italy) x 4+2 Medium helicopters AW101 (Italy) x 18 ASW helicopters: AW159 (Italy) x 12 ASW helicopters #Option 2: MH-60R (USA) x 12

Italy offers to train BAF personnel Tribune Desk Published at 07:47 pm October 17th, 2019 The Italian Air Force chief made the offer when he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka on Thursday Visiting Italian Air Force Chief Lieutenant General Alberto Rosso has offered imparting training to Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) personnel in Italy. The Italian Air Force chief made the offer when he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka on Thursday morning, reports BSS. After the meeting, the prime minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters. During the meeting, Hasina requested Rosso to arrange training in Italy for the BAF personnel on fighter helicopters and transport planes. Lt Gen Alberto Rosso informed her that his visit to Bangladesh was very successful and fruitful. “I had fruitful discussions with the officials of Bangladesh Air Force,” he said. The prime minister’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Md Mahfuzur Rahman, PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hassan, and Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Mario Palma were present on the occasion.

Italy has formally offered the brand new Eurofighter Typhoon and frigates to the Bangladesh Armed Forces during PMs visit to the country earlier this year.

These helicopters and hovercraft are intended for Coast Guard but the FSCD is also receiving two Kamov helicopters from Russia as well for the first time.

BGB cannot shrug off responsibility Says NHRC over killing of 5; camp withdrawn The authorities of Border Guard Bangladesh cannot avoid the responsibilities in the killing of five people in Khagrachhari's Matiranga upazila, thinks the National Human Rights Commission. The rights body came up with the statement yesterday, a day after a deadly clash that left five people, including a BGB member, dead and subsequently forced the BGB authorities to "temporarily" withdraw a camp in the area yesterday. The statement said no matter who had fired the shots, BGB was the custodian of all the firearms used in the killings, and therefore, could not avoid responsibility. Expressing grave concern over the incident, the commission said the matter was very sensitive and should be subjected to a fair probe to find out whether the situation had warranted the use of firearms. The NHRC demanded those responsible be brought to book and wrote to the home ministry to take steps following proper investigation. At least five people, including a BGB member, were killed and several others injured in a clash between members of the paramilitary force and villagers over illegal logging at Gazinagar village under Khagrachhari's Matiranga upazila on Tuesday. Meanwhile, BGB claimed that it withdrew its camp on security grounds, reports our Khagrachhari correspondent. "We have moved the Gazinagor BGB camp temporarily following directives from high officials", said GHM Selim Hasan, sector commander of BGB in Guimara region. However, the district's Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Abdul Aziz yesterday told The Daily Star that the BGB camp was moved away from the area following a protest by locals. On Tuesday evening, hours after the violence, villagers staged demonstration and demanded withdrawal of the BGB camp from the area. Meanwhile, bodies of the victims were handed over to their family yesterday morning after autopsies. A funeral procession of the deceased was held at the Botthali field of the upazila around 11:30am. In the procession, several public representatives urged local administration not to harass the villagers in the name of investigation. Speaking at the function, they claimed that the villagers didn't attack BGB rather it was BGB men who opened fire over a trivial matter. They also rejected the press release issued by the BGB and said there was no issue of smuggling timber in the area. Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee, headed by additional district magistrate Khandoker Mohammad Rezaul Karim, started its investigation into the incident. "We already visited the spot and spoke with the villagers and some eyewitnesses," Karim said, adding that they were hoping to submit the report within next three days. However, no case was filled in this connection till filing the report around 8:00pm last night, Shamsuddin Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Matiranga Police Station confirmed it to this newspaper. Additional law enforcers have been deployed in the area to avert further untoward incident, said the district's SP. Local administration gave Tk 20,000 to the families of each victim to complete their funeral, said Bibhisan Kanti Das, upazila nirbahi officer of Matiranga.

There is no international law that says forests and jungles cannot exist within 150 yards of the no man's land. I don't know where these people get such references. If they illegally clear forests and jungles it will cause ecological damage and the fact that several endangered species reside in the border areas of the two countries this is a very serious threat. Bangladesh and India are bound to protect the eco-system. The governments of the two countries should not do anything that is against the long term interests of the country. Human encroachment is the problem and not the forests themselves.

BGB, BSF plan border cleaning to curb trespassing Deepak Acharjee, Dhaka The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) of India are going to clean jungles, orchards and tea gardens on either side of the ‘no-man’s land’ on the Bangladesh-India border to curb cross-border terrorism. At the same time, the border forces of the two countries will stop cultivation of crops like jute, sugarcane, maize and banana in the bordering areas for the same purpose, a source in the home ministry and the BGB said. This is being done as per the decision of the recent director-general (DG)-level talks between the BGB and BSF in New Delhi, the source added. “Since partition, at many places on the 'no-man’s land', there are localities, infrastructure, jungles, orchards and tea gardens, and people of the two countries have been maintaining these,” a senior official of the home ministry said. “There are some tea gardens near the border in Sylhet and Panchaghar. In some areas in Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Netrokona, there are jungles, forests and orchards in the northern districts,” he said. “As per the decision of the DG-level meeting, the authorities concerned, especially the BGB and the BSF, will select and list the areas and then decide when and how to clean the areas to ensure border security,” he added. “As per international border laws, no one can allow forest, jungle, tea garden or orchard, and also not cultivate crops like jute, sugarcane, maize and banana inside 150 yards of the ‘no-man’s land’,” the official added. Quoting the decision of the DG-level talks, the source said cross-border terrorism was not being curbed because there are such forests, jungles, tea gardens and orchards, and even cultivation of jute, sugarcane, maize and banana by farmers of either countries. “And that’s why, the border forces of the two countries will create awareness among local farmers of the respective countries about not cultivating such crops inside the ‘no-man’s lands’,” according to the source. Bangladesh and India share a 4,156km-long border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, including 262km with Assam, 856km with Tripura, 180km with Mizoram, 443km with Meghalaya, and 2,217km with West Bengal.