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07:53 PM, July 10, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 09:36 PM, July 10, 2020 BGB officially protests Anandabazar report on ‘Bangladeshis stepping into unprotected land’ Star Online Report A screenshot of the report by Indian newspaper Anandabazar. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has officially protested a news published in the Indian newspaper Anandabazar on July 7, under the headline "Bangladeshis stepping into unprotected land". A statement signed by BGB Public Relation Officer Md Shariful Islam said the news published in Anandabazar was "baseless, fabricated and motivated". The BGB statement reads: "The newspaper mentioned the Raninagar border as the place of the incident but in fact, no incident happened there. The area is under the jurisdiction of Rajshahi BGB and it extends from Charghat BOP (Border Outpost) to Talaimari BOP. The zero line crosses along the river Padma and there are vast chars on both sides." In the protest letter, the BGB said, "The news says that Bangladeshis are cultivating freely in Raninagar 1 and 2 blocks of the border and about 22,000 acres of unprotected land across Jalangi. "In this context, the real picture is completely different. Far from cultivating inside India, it is now almost impossible to cultivate along international borders. BGB members are patrolling the border day and night along the zero line," it said. The news report further said that Border Security Force of India detained two Bangladeshis after they crossed the border into Indian territory. Subsequently, Bangladeshi miscreants abducted two villagers from the Raninagar border village as ransom. "But, the reality is quite the opposite and the published news is motivated," said BGB. On July 2, two incidents took place at the Jalangi border, which contradicted the report published by the newspaper, reads the statement. BGB said that two residents of Jalangi border—Nayan Sheikh and Shahidul Sheikh—illegally crossed the international border around 11:30am on July 2. They trespassed into Yousufpur village inside Bangladesh territory over narcotics dealing and financial transaction. "Locals did not take the matter lightly and surrounded them. Subsequently, the Yusufpur BGB camp took the two Indians into their custody out of concern for their safety," BGB said. On the other hand, around 12:00 noon on the same day, the BSF patrol team illegally crossed the international border and entered 300 metres inside Bangladesh (along Pillar 72/4-S) and captured three innocent farmers from Yusufpur area who were returning home after cultivating in the char area, reads the BGB statement. "A BGB-BSF flag meeting was held on the same day in the aftermath of both the incidents. Later, on July 3, the matter was settled amicably through peaceful transfer of citizens of both the countries," BGB said in their statement. The BGB further said, "The hostile relations of BSF with local people in the Muslim-dominated areas, the inability of the local cattle smugglers to do any work in this season, toll collection from the fishermen by BSF and above all, to cover up the failure of the local BSF battalion, the news may have been provided by a quarter with vested interest in India to the media." https://www.thedailystar.net/country/news/bgb-officially-protests-anandabazar-report-bangladeshis-stepping-unprotected-land-1928169

বিজিবিতে যুক্ত হলো অল টেরেইন ভেহিক্যাল সিনিয়র করেসপন্ডেন্ট | বাংলানিউজটোয়েন্টিফোর.কম আপডেট: ২০২০-০৭-০৯ ৩:৪৩:২৭ পিএম অল টেরেইন ভেহিক্যাল। ঢাকা: আন্তঃসীমান্ত অপরাধ দমন, প্রতিবেশী দেশ থেকে অস্ত্র, বিস্ফোরক, ইয়াবাসহ বিভিন্ন মাদক ও চোরাচালানরোধ এবং মানবপাচার প্রতিরোধে দ্রুত ও কার্যকরভাবে টহল পরিচালনার জন্য বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশে (বিজিবি) যুক্ত হলো অল টেরেইন ভেহিক্যাল (এটিভি)। বৃহস্পতিবার (০৯ জুলাই) বিষয়টি নিশ্চিত করেন বিজিবির জনসংযোগ কর্মকর্তা মো: শরিফুল ইসলাম। তিনি বলেন, ভারত ও মিয়ানমারের সঙ্গে ৪ হাজার ৪২৭ কি.মি সীমান্তের ৩২৮ কিলোমিটার এলাকা বিশেষ ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ হিসেবে চিহ্নিত করা হয়েছে। এ সকল বিশেষ ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ ও স্পর্শকাতর সীমান্ত এলাকায় নিশ্ছিদ্র নিরাপত্তা, নজরদারি এবং আন্তঃরাষ্ট্রীয় অপরাধ মোকাবিলায় এলাকাগুলোতে সর্বাধুনিক প্রযুক্তির ‘স্মার্ট ডিজিটাল সার্ভেইল্যান্স অ্যান্ড ট্যাকটিকাল বর্ডার রেসপন্স সিস্টেম’ স্থাপন ও সম্প্রসারণের জন্য বিজিবি কর্তৃক উদ্যোগ নেওয়া হয়। ইতোমধ্যে যশোর জেলার পুটখালী এবং কক্সবাজার জেলার টেকনাফ সীমান্তের ২৩ কিলোমিটার এলাকায় সার্ভেইল্যান্স সিস্টেম স্থাপন করা হয়েছে। তাছাড়া, টেকনাফ সীমান্তের দমদমিয়া থেকে উনচিপ্রাং, উনচিপ্রাং থেকে পালংখালী, পালংখালী থেকে বাইশফাঁড়ি পর্যন্ত ৪৫ কিলোমিটার, নওগাঁ জেলার হাপানিয়া সীমান্তে ১৫ কিলোমিটার, দিনাজপুর জেলার হিলি থেকে কয়া পর্যন্ত ১৫ কিলোমিটার, চাঁপাইনবাবগঞ্জ জেলার মাসুদপুর থেকে কয়া সীমান্ত পর্যন্ত ১৫ কিলোমিটারসহ সর্বমোট ৯০ কিলোমিটার এলাকায় সার্ভেইল্যান্স সিস্টেম স্থাপনের কাজ প্রায় শেষ পর্যায়ে। দেশের সার্বিক আইন শৃঙ্খলা ও অর্থনৈতিক স্থিতিশীলতা বজায় রাখার পাশাপাশি রাষ্ট্রীয় নিরাপত্তার কর্মকাণ্ডকে আরও সুসংগঠিত ও সময়োপযোগী করার নিমিত্তে বিভিন্ন এলাকায় স্থাপিত ‘স্মার্ট ডিজিটাল সার্ভেইল্যান্স অ্যান্ড ট্যাকটিকাল বর্ডার রেসপন্স সিস্টেম’ থেকে প্রাপ্ত তথ্যের আলোকে দ্রুত রেসপন্স প্রদানের জন্য দ্রুততার সঙ্গে ঘটনাস্থলে বিজিবি সদস্যদের প্রেরণ এবং দুর্গম ও অপ্রচলিত সড়কসমূহে নিয়মিত টহল কার্যক্রম পরিচালনার জন্য বিজিবিতে অল টেরেইন ভেহিক্যাল (এটিভি) সংযোজন করা হয়েছে। তিনি আরও বলেন, অল টেরেইন ভেহিক্যালগুলো কর্দমাক্ত সরু রাস্তা, বালুময় চরাঞ্চল, খাল-বিলসহ বিভিন্ন জলাশয়, পাহাড়ি খাড়া রাস্তা এবং যেকোনো দুর্গম রাস্তায় চলাচলের জন্য উপযুক্ত। এছাড়াও ওজনে হালকা হওয়ার কারণে বিশেষ আভিযানিক অপারেশন পরিচালনার ক্ষেত্রে বর্ণিত এগুলো হেলিকপ্টারের মাধ্যমে নির্ধারিত স্থানে হেলিড্রপ করা সম্ভব। বিজিবির এই সক্ষমতা আন্তঃসীমান্ত অপরাধ দমনে (অস্ত্র, ইয়াবাসহ বিভিন্ন মাদক চোরাচালান ও মানবপাচার প্রতিরোধ ইত্যাদি) সক্রিয় ভূমিকা রাখার পাশাপাশি সীমান্ত হত্যা হ্রাসেও কার্যকরী ভূমিকা রাখবে https://www.banglanews24.com/national/news/bd/799057.details

A bird's-eye view of Bangladesh’s first expressway Mostafigur Rahman, Head of News Photography, bdnews24.com Published: 06 Jul 2020 01:44 PM BdST Updated: 06 Jul 2020 01:44 PM BdST Bangladesh’s first six-lane Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway was designed with all the facilities of a modern highway to ensure that the people can fully utilise the Padma Bridge, the biggest infrastructure project in the country, once it is constructed. The expressway was opened to traffic in March. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the expressway through a video conference at Ganabhaban on Mar 12, 2020. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader initiated the project on Nov 17, 2016. The 24 Engineer Construction Brigade of Bangladesh Army implemented the project under the supervision of the Roads and Highways Department. The 55km expressway has two parts stretching 35km from Dhaka to Mawa and 20km from Patchchar to Bhanga. The two parts will be connected through the Padma Bridge. The 6.15km bridge will have 41 spans on 42 piers. The workers have installed 31 spans so far. The expressway is set to ease the travel from Khulna and Barishal divisions to Dhaka. The construction of the highway cost Tk 110 billion. It has 44 culverts, 19 underpasses, four big bridges, 25 small bridges, five flyovers, two interchain and four railway overpasses. In addition to the Padma Bridge, the expressway also has Dhaleswari-1 and 2, and Arial Khan bridges. There are two service lanes on both sides of the expressway to cater for the local and slow-moving vehicles to ensure that fast-moving vehicles can run smoothly on the road and travel time reduces. Work on the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project adjacent to the expressway is also progressing at a fast pace. https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/07/06/a-bird-s-eye-view-of-bangladeshs-first-expressway

12:00 AM, March 19, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:48 AM, March 19, 2020 Govt now scrambles for testing kits, PPE Experts slam ‘failure to act timely’ Mohammad Al-Masum Molla As the coronavirus outbreak threatens to turn into a grave crisis, the government moves to procure testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), both very critical in the fight against the virus. Experts said the government had around three months to prepare, but it failed to grasp the gravity of the situation and act accordingly. Now when it is trying to procure testing kits and PPE, things have become very difficult. There has been a huge global demand for testing kits in the wake of a raging Covid-19 pandemic. As for PPE, local companies are struggling to manufacture enough for what they say is a shortage of raw materials, which are mostly imported from China. On February 17, the Centre for Disease Control of the DGHS wrote to the health ministry, seeking one lakh PPEs, five lakh surgical masks and surgical goggles and other equipment. But little has been done to that end. Health directorate sources say the situation has come to this due to an abysmally slow response of the ministry. Bureaucratic tangles held back many decisions being implemented even at times like these. Against this backdrop, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services has lately held meetings with the country representative of the WHO and officials of some donor organisations. The DGHS wants at least 1 lakh testing kits and 10 lakh pieces of PPE as soon as possible. At present, the government has around 1,500 kits and around the same number of PPE, which experts say are nowhere near the stocks needed to tackle the situation. Health officials said a shipment of 10,000 testing kits and the same number of PPE is now in Singapore and expected to arrive in Dhaka in a day or two. Meanwhile, China yesterday announced it would give Bangladesh 10,000 test kits, 15,000 surgical N95 respirators, 10,000 pieces of medical protective clothing and 1,000 infrared thermometers. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka through a press release said Beijing will arrange for the air transportation of the medical logistics. Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, said, "How many kits we currently have is not an issue. There will be no crisis of testing kits. Those are on their way." He said a shipment of 10,000 kits is now in Singapore. "We hope to get it soon. We are also working to collect and purchase one lakh more testing kits." Azad also said PPE is not mandatory for all health practitioners but for those who will attend to the suspected coronavirus patients. "We are providing doctors with PPE following up on their demands." Sources at the DGHS say that so far 340 pieces of PPE have been distributed among the medical staff. Experts say the government should have had enough testing kits by this time and decentralised the access to testing facilities. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) is the only agency in Bangladesh to perform tests to detect highly contagious coronavirus. Although the organisation is capable of performing 1,000 tests per day, it is performing way fewer than that. "We are at high risk. Our preparations are insufficient. We got three months but could not utilise that time properly," Muzaherul Huq, former regional adviser of WHO's South East Asia region, told The Daily Star yesterday. He also said, "The government has responded late in collecting testing kits and PPEs." Health practitioners have been expressing concern over the inadequacy of the safety measures taken for them. Mohammad Sohel Rana, resident medical officer of upazila health complex of Kachua in Chandpur, said they have already given a requisition for 100 pieces of PPE but yet to receive those. "It is risky but we have to provide services to the people in home quarantine," he said adding that some 125 people are in self-quarantine in his upazila. Debapada Roy, director (health) of Sylhet division, said they are yet to get any PPE after the Covid-19 outbreak. "We are, however, expecting to get those tomorrow [today]." The WHO has already warned that severe and mounting disruptions to the global supply of PPE – caused by rising demand, panic buying, hoarding and misuse – is putting lives at risk from the new coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Healthcare workers rely on personal protective equipment to protect themselves and their patients from being infected and infecting others. But shortages of gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns, and aprons are leaving doctors, nurses and other frontline workers dangerously ill-equipped to care for Covid-19 patients. Supplies can take months to deliver, and market manipulation is widespread, with stocks frequently sold to the highest bidder. "It seems to me that the government did not find it necessary to take elaborate preparations. If it had, then everything would have been ready by this time," said Be-Nazir Ahmed, former director (disease control) of the DGHS. He also said test is the only way to know the status of a patient and that's why it should be easily accessible to all. A number of government and private organisations are capable of administering the test, and so credible organisations should be allowed to test suspected patients for coronavirus, he added. "We have missed the train already but we do not want to miss the next one." The first coronavirus positive case was confirmed in Bangladesh on March 8. Till yesterday, there were 14 confirmed cases and one patient died. A total of 631,538 Bangladeshis returned home from abroad from January 21 till yesterday, but only 351 of them were screened for the virus. Coronavirus tests in Bangladesh are restricted to only those people who have symptoms of the disease along with the history of travelling from any affected country and to those who came into close contact with the returnees. This implies that if anyone has travelled to and from an affected country recently and does not have any symptoms, that person will not be tested. But experts worldwide maintain there is no alternative to testing as many suspected cases as possible to contain the spread. Of the affected countries, Bahrain has 4,910 people tested per million while the number is 4,099 in South Korea and only 0.09 people per million in Bangladesh. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/govt-now-scrambles-testing-kits-ppe-1882633

12:00 AM, March 15, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:17 AM, March 15, 2020 Coronavirus fears: hotels become ghost towns Mahmudul Hasan In the general run of things, a steady stream of chatter buzzes across the lobby of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, as the upscale hotel in the heart of Dhaka hosts more than five events a day. The lobby, however, was wearing a deserted look yesterday as there were no events like wedding ceremonies or business conferences taking place at the hotel -- a cascading effect of coronavirus outbreak that has taken over almost all sectors. "The occupancy rate of our hotel has plunged to below 30 per cent. The outbreak has taken a huge toll on our business," said Md Alamgir, managing director of Hotels International, the owning company of Sonargaon hotel. In the last six days, Sonargaon, which has about 278 rooms, has not witnessed a single event in its ballroom. Similar scenarios are prevalent at almost every luxury hotel in Dhaka as the pandemic has led to the cancellation of numerous events and flights as well as travel restrictions. The global death toll surged past 5,000 yesterday, with the total number of confirmed cases worldwide having crossed 140,000. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia earlier informed that it would suspend all international flights for two weeks in an effort to stem the outbreak while US President Donald Trump on Friday declared the situation a national emergency. Europe is now being considered the epicentre for COVID-19, according to the World Health Organisation. Sonargaon's losses were amplified manifold when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his plans to visit Dhaka and attend the 'Mujib Borsho' celebrations on March 17. Around 100 suites had been booked for two days to host the Indian premier and his entourage. Bangladesh's hospitality industry was late to realise what kind of impact the novel virus would leave. "This week alone, occupancy rates dipped to 30-40 per cent," said Md Mohsin Hoq Himel, secretary of the Bangladesh International Hotel Association. "In Bangladesh, business hotels are the worst hit because of the on-arrival visa cancellations," he said, adding that occupancy rates should have been about 80 per cent to 90 per cent during this time of the year. Since mass gatherings are discouraged amid the lingering threat, restaurants at luxury hotels in Dhaka have also been dealt a serious blow. "We had to temporarily stop our regular buffet lunch but anyone can have lunch if they make orders while the buffet dinner is still on," said an official of the InterContinental Dhaka hotel. Similarly though, the 226-room hotel's occupancy rate has dropped below 30 per cent. Only 10 to 15 rooms were booked per day in the last five days at the Renaissance Dhaka Gulshan Hotel, another upscale hotel in Dhaka with 211 rooms, according to an official of the hotel. "The crushing impact of the coronavirus on the travel industry has had a devastating effect on hotels in Bangladesh," said Abu Hanif Bari, company secretary and head of admin at Sena Hotel Developments which owns both the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden and Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View hotels. The 200-room Radisson Blu Dhaka currently boasts a 45 per cent occupancy rate. Usually, the hotel witnesses an average occupancy rate of 80 per cent this time of the year, he added. Meanwhile, the Radisson Blu Chattogram's occupancy rate is now just 30 per cent. The somewhat dire situation for the hotel industry may continue as flight frequency of both domestic and international airlines have dropped significantly. "Qatar and Turkish airlines' crew members regularly stay at our hotel in Dhaka. However, this almost never happens anymore because of all the flight cancellations," Bari said. He also urged the government to provide cash incentives and slash the VAT and supplementary duties to help the country's hospitality sector stay afloat. The global travel sector is expected to lose about $820 billion in revenue, according to a Global Business Travel Association survey that was published on Tuesday. The Six Seasons Hotel, which has 85 rooms that are mainly reserved for foreign clients, already lost Tk 1.5 crore since the outbreak began. "Most of our guests come from China, Japan and Italy and these countries are the worst hit by coronavirus," said Md Al Amin, general manager of the hotel, adding that the business will suffer the most between March and June. The occupancy rate at Amari Dhaka sank to just 10 per cent, said its chairman Ashok Kejriwal. Kejriwal believes that the business will not recover until August due to the upcoming Eid festivals as few foreign guests visit the country during that time. "The impact of the virus will only add to the woes." The hotel regularly provides lodgings for Air Arabia crew members. However, that too has been on hold at the 134-room hotel due to the epidemic. Occupancy rates at Le Méridien Dhaka have dropped from 90-95 per cent to about 60 per cent, according to officials of the hotel, which has 304 rooms. Flight crews of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways and Emirates regularly stayed at the hotel but after the coronavirus outbreak, almost all the airlines cancelled their bookings as there were fewer flights going in or out. "Since the virus is spreading all over the globe, business at the Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort is deteriorating," said Shahid Hamid, executive director of the hotel. The occupancy rate at the 220-room hotel is now at 30 per cent, he added. If the virus continues to spread, it will force the hotel industry to cut down on jobs, according to industry leaders. "When hotel owners will have to pay staff wages for the month of March, they will face a harsh reality. I don't know how they will pay the wages without cutting down on workers," said HM Hakim Ali, president of the Bangladesh International Hotel Association. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/coronavirus-fears-leave-hotels-ghost-towns-1880938

12:00 AM, March 15, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:54 AM, March 15, 2020 Car manufacturing in Bangladesh: preparing for the next biggest industry after apparel Nazbul H Khan People work in a factory of Bangladesh Auto Industries inside Bangabandhu Industrial Park. Photo: Collected Bangladesh will soon start manufacturing cars, that too electric ones, according to a news report published in The Daily Star with the headline "Local firm to set up a $200m plant to make electric vehicle" in July last year. Presently the country has 12 million people of the medium-income generating affluent bracket and this segment of the population is growing very fast -- by 10 per cent a year. Meanwhile importing automobiles requires paying import duties ranging from 130 per cent to 850 per cent. This inevitably results in some consumers not getting their desired vehicles within their affordability. Automobile density, which is the number of vehicles per unit length of the roadway, in Bangladesh is as low as 0.5 per cent, when the global average is 12 per cent. Moreover, heavy reliance of fossil fuels and the resulting carbon emissions are working against the country's fight to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Bangladesh's initiative to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) is what present times require and will broaden the economy. The large Chinese and Indian markets with duty-free access for Bangladeshi products will be an added advantage soon, once the sector thrives like that of apparel. The manufacture and export of cars are about to unveil a new horizon for Bangladesh. There is no substitute for industrialization for accelerating sustainable development but not at the cost of losing farmland and food sufficiency. The government has also declared that they would create all kinds of infrastructure at designated places for the establishment of industries that could be availed by local and foreign investors. The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) has been selecting locations in different districts all over the country for special economic zones. Bangabandhu Industrial Park is an industrial town being built on 30,000 acres of land by the river Feni. This industrial city is being set up on the west side of Mirsarai. This industrial park is expected to generate 1.5 million jobs. The BEZA executive chairman laid the foundation stone of Bangladesh Auto Industries (BAIL) in the zone a few months back. The EVs are said to reduce fuel cost by up to 90 per cent and cut down maintenance cost to 10 per cent only. With zero emissions its carbon footprint is even lower. While electric vehicles made in Bangladesh are expected to cost half that of current market prices, BAIL will ensure after-sales service and spare parts. This guarantees resale of their vehicles, an important factor for the Bangladeshi market which gives a lot of emphasis on resale value. Mir Masud Kabir, managing director of the BAIL, explained the opportunities of manufacturing environment-friendly automobiles in Bangladesh by leveraging on the fast-growing market and supportive government policies and incentives. In the next 25 years, 1.5 billion new generation smart vehicles will be manufactured in the world. The smart vehicles' market size is $30 trillion. While the BAIL is preparing to manufacture two, three and four wheeler EVs, its sister concerns are gearing up to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, motors, controllers and chargers. These are crucial components of EVs. Thus, it is a 360-degree EV manufacturing ecosystem in development. The question has arisen as to why the BAIL has taken up such an ambitious plan when this country lacks efficiency in many sectors. The answer lies in the initiators of the BAIL having transformed the internet sector earlier and now seeing the automobile sector as the next frontier with a lot of promise and a success story for Bangladesh after apparel. So how will this industrial city will be getting a supply of 1.5 million skilled people when these industries will be technology-based? The formation of National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) is a possible answer. However, the NSDA should prepare plans not only for the human resource just entering the job market but also those intending to make a switch over apprehensions their existing sector might come to be abandoned eventually. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/car-manufacturing-bangladesh-preparing-the-next-biggest-industry-after-apparel-1880917

12:00 AM, March 15, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:17 AM, March 15, 2020 They roam around in quarantine! Zahangir Shah Although the government is repeatedly requesting people returning home from abroad to be in home quarantine for 14 days to prevent spread of novel coronavirus, many of them are seen walking freely in their localities. Three days ago, a youth returned home from Saudi Arabia to a village in Manikganj Sadar Upazila. He was instructed by the local administration to stay at home under quarantine. Visiting the village on Friday, this correspondent found him roving about near his home. "I don't have any symptoms of coronavirus infection. That's why I go out of home," he told The Daily Star. Another youth of the same village returned home from the Gulf country seven days ago. He was found feeding cattle and working with his family members. Their family members said Dr Lutfor Rahman, upazila health and family planning officer, visited their homes and asked the two youths to stay at home quarantine for two weeks. The two expatriates are at home on vacation. On March 2, the health ministry formed committees at the district and upazila levels to check spread of the novel coronavirus. Manikganj Civil Surgeon Dr Anwarul Amin, also a member of such a committee, said he was not aware of the two youths roving about in their village. "Everybody should come forward as patriotic citizens to check the spread of the virus. The health department alone will not be able to do the job properly," he told The Daily Star. He urged the expatriates, who returned home recently, to follow the directives of the health department and not to cause panic. The civil surgeon said 221 expatriates were asked to stay in home quarantine in Manikganj in the last five days. According to government statistics, over 1,200 expatriates have so far been asked to be in home quarantine, but many of them are reportedly not following the directive. As many as 81 expatriates were in self quarantine in Mymensingh and three in Brahmanbaria, reports our local correspondents. The deadly novel coronavirus has already claimed about 5,400 lives across the world. A day after the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 a global pandemic, the Directorate General of Health Services yesterday published a circular warning the expatriates of legal action for failure to stay in home quarantine. In case of any violation of law, the person would be jailed for the maximum two months or fined up to Tk 25,000, or punished with both a jail term and a fine. Meanwhile, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, yesterday said they gave directives to the civil surgeons to take help from the local administrations to force the expatriates to stay in home quarantine properly. She was speaking at a press briefing at the IEDCR in the capital's Mohakhali.(The Daily Star holds the names of the expatriates and their exact locations for their safety). https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/they-rove-about-self-quarantine-1880860

12:00 AM, March 15, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 09:22 AM, March 15, 2020 Shambolic: 142 Italy returnees allowed to go home after day-long mismanagement 59 more taken to Ashkona camp Rashidul Hasan Italy returnees stage protest inside the Ashkona Hajj Camp yesterday after they had been quarantined upon their return yesterday. After day-long drama, they were sent on self quarantine. Photo: collected After daylong drama about quarantining people returning from Italy, the authorities last night allowed 142 of them to go home and asked them to be in self isolation. Health experts said this would put entire communities at risk as they feared there would hardly be any monitoring over their self isolation. However, 59 other Italy-returnees who arrived at Dhaka airport in the evening were sent to a makeshift quarantine centre in Gazipur's Pubail. Most of the 142 Bangladeshis had began arguing with officials as soon as they were taken to Ashkona Hajj Camp from the airport around 9:00am. They kept demanding that they be allowed to go home immediately. At least five of the returnees told The Daily Star they left Italy after many people in their neighbourhoods in Rome and Catania were tested positive for the virus and fell sick. On the way home, two of them told The Daily Star that the authorities didn't take any blood samples from them to test for coronavirus. Experts said it would have been wise if the Italy-returnees had been let go after proper tests. The returnees left for their home only hours after Health Minister Zahid Maleque said people coming to Bangladesh from affected countries will face a compulsory 14-day period in quarantine. He also warned that anyone violating the directive would be jailed or fined. Yesterday's daylong tension between the returnees and the officials at Ashkona highlighted the mismanagement and lack of basic protective measures taken by the authorities, especially since Italy is the worst affected country in Europe, the new epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. At Ashkona in the capital's Uttara, friends and family members started coming in contact with the returnees since morning. Hardly anyone was wearing a mask, let alone other protective gear. Even the law enforcers wearing no masks jostled the crowd which was chanting slogans denouncing the authorities. The returnees were allowed to go home because they showed no symptom of a coronavirus infection, DG of Directorate General of Health Services Prof Abul Kalam Azad told reporters at the scene. Contacted, Prof Muzaherul Huq, former adviser to WHO's southeast Asia region, said, "Who will make sure they would remain properly quarantined at home on their own? Even though they seem to be in good health, the signs of an infection may appear later. They may pose a threat to entire communities." He added that it was highly likely that no one would be there to make sure the people were properly "self-quarantined". Muzaherul also said a person in self-quarantine must stay inside a room with an attached bathroom. Anyone delivering food to the person must not go closer than six feet to the person. At the hajj camp yesterday, which was supposed to be the quarantine centre for the 142, many expats said some had managed to flee while the law enforcers and officials were struggling to quell the protesting men. Jahirul, a doctor at the health desk of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, said "These passengers do not seem to have coronavirus symptoms for now, but the virus could be in incubation in their body. In that case, the symptoms may appear a week and others may get infected." At the hajj camp yesterday, this correspondent saw at least 30 to 40 passengers chanting slogans while others shook hands with their friends and family members at the gate. Asked why they wanted to go home immediately ignoring the risks, a man said, "We have been here for five hours. But no doctor or official came to test or examine us." A woman said, "I have three children aged between six and 11 with me. They have not eaten in 24 hours." At one stage of the demonstrations, some 40 to 45 people started pushing the gate of the hajj camp and police had to jostle with them. New infections in Italy soared Friday by more than 2,500 and virus-related deaths made their biggest single-day jump there, increasing by 250. In the three weeks since the country identified its first virus cluster, Italy has reached a total of 17,600 confirmed cases -- the largest outbreak after China -- with 1,266 deaths. The Italian government has ordered an unprecedented lockdown, ordering businesses to close and restricting people's movement. On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that Europe has now become the epicentre for the pandemic, reporting more daily cases than China did at the height of its outbreak. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/shambolic-1880866

Payra power plant set to become economic burden on Bangladesh Emran Hossain | Published: 00:06, Mar 14,2020 | Updated: 00:47, Mar 14,2020 The country’s largest Payra 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant is likely to become an economic burden as it nears commercial operation with transmission facilities still not in place. Bangladesh will need to pay about Tk 160 crore in capacity charge every month as half of the generation capacity of the plant will remain unused until the installation of the transmission line, Payra power plant project officials said. The installation of the 84 km 400 kv double-circuit transmission line connecting the power plant to Aminbazar in Dhaka is scheduled to be completed in June 2021, they said. The first unit of the power plant with 660 MW generation capacity began its test run in January 2020. The 660 MW second unit is scheduled to follow suit in March. The Payra power plant project, launched in March 2016 following a Bangladesh-China joint venture, will end in June 2020, following which the commercial operation will begin. The first one of the 23 half-yearly instalments of $1.98 billion loan is due in six months after the commercial operation begins. ‘We are in a very bad situation,’ said Payra project director Shah Abdul Moula. ‘We are not only unable to contribute to the national grid and run at full capacity due to lack of transmission line but also the existence of power plant itself is at stake,’ he said, sharing the experience of the test run of the first unit. Test operation usually runs for three months to synchronise a power plant with the national grid before commercial operation was started. In the test run, the first unit of the plant could never reach its full generation capacity because of low capacity transmission line, said the project director. The transmission line built by Power Grid Company of Bangladesh for transmission of electricity from the Payra power plants tripped at least thrice, the recent one being on February 9. The unit’s highest generation was 530 MW but it largely fluctuated between 200 MW and 400 MW. The coal-based Payra power plant is a baseload power plant and was built to operate over a long period of time without any interruption, Shah Abdul Moula said. ‘Unlike peaking power plants, baseload power plants take a while to pick up its generation and cannot be stopped all of a sudden,’ he said. Tripped electrical line results in sudden fluctuation of electrical frequency which may hurt the turbine and the boiler of the baseload power plant, he explained. The first unit of the power plant had already suffered damage because of tripped transmission line, he said. The 400 kv transmission line installed for the transmission of power from Payra was originally designed to be double circuit to tackle tripping and ensure reliable power supply. In the first phase, the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh constructed 168 km double circuit power transmission line from Payra to Gopalganj but could use only one of the two circuits. Power grid company officials said that their Gopalganj substation, meant to distribute a part of the electricity generated by the Payra power plant among some north-western areas such as Gopalganj, Madaripur and Fairdpur, was not yet prepared to handle double circuit line. The 132 kv distribution lines running from the Gopalganj substation are old lines and highly susceptible to tripping, said Power Development Board officials. Bangladesh-China Power Company managing director AM Khurshedul Alam said that half of their capacity would remain unused until the transmission line was fully prepared. ‘We were aware of it from the very beginning and planned accordingly, but delayed construction of transmission line continued holding us back,’ he said. The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh still needs to build 84 km double-circuit 400 kv transmission line from Gopalganj to connect the Payra power plant to Aminbazar in Dhaka. Power grid company managing director Golam Kibria said that they would not be able to complete the task until April 2021. ‘We are already late. But we are working hard to minimise further losses of the government,’ he said. The Power Grid Company officials involved in transmission line construction projects said that they had had a 14-month late start of their fast phase of work because of lack of fund. They said that for a long time they could secure foreign investment for commencing first phase of work and the government refused to invest. The government eventually invested but only after much delay, they said. The first phase of the project built transmission line from Payra to Gopalganj and ended seven months behind the schedule. The Power Grid Company took the excuses of difficulty in reaching remote areas with heavy electric equipment and stretching lines across rivers in justifying the delay. In the second phase, the Power Grid Company would need to build 7.5KM line across the river Padma for which they are completely relying on the Padma Bridge Authorities. The Payra power plant is a joint venture between the state-owned North-West Power Generation Company and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation. The Bangladesh-China Power Company was formed to implement the $2.48-billion project. The Bangladesh-China Power Company got 80 per cent of the investment as loan from the Chinese Export Import Bank at 2.98 per cent interest. Power Development Board chairman Mohammad Belayet Hossain said that being the lone buyer of power they were surely headed for a bad time if Power Grid Company of Bangladesh failed to build transmission line before commercial operation of the power plant was under way. ‘In that case the Payra power plant is going to be a burden and would only increase the government’s power subsidy,’ said Belayet Hossain. https://www.newagebd.net/article/102134/payra-power-plant-set-to-become-economic-burden-on-bangladesh

10:30 AM, March 12, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:34 AM, March 12, 2020 2 Rohingya robbers killed in Cox’s Bazar gunfight: Rab UNB, Cox’s Bazar Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) today claimed that two Rohingya robbers were killed in a gunfight with the elite force members on Shaplapur Marine Drive road in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar. The deceased -- Saiful Islam, 38, and Nur Kamal, 34, -- were the members of a robber group, locally known as Jokhi Robbers Gang. Acting on a tipped off, a team of Rab-15 conducted a drive in the area around 1:00am where a group of robbers were preparing to commit a robbery, said Company Commander of Rab-15, Teknaf Shahed Mahtab. Sensing danger, the robbers opened fire on the elite force members, forcing them to fire back that triggered a "gunfight", the Rab official said. At one stage, two 'robbers' were caught in the line of fire while the others managed to flee the scene, he said. Later, the Rab members recovered the bullet-hit bodies of two people. Three Rab men were injured in the "gunfight", the Rab official said. One pistol, 11 cartridges and one gun were recovered from the spot. https://www.thedailystar.net/country/news/2-rohingya-robbers-killed-coxs-bazar-gunfight-rab-1879759

12:00 AM, March 12, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 05:51 AM, March 12, 2020 Biman braces for a bumpy ride Incurs Tk 217cr loss in Jan-Mar 28, cancels 198 int’l flights amid coronavirus outbreak Rashidul Hasan Biman Bangladesh Airlines is heading towards a serious financial crisis due to the global coronavirus fallout. The national flag carrier has cancelled at least 198 international flights between January and March 28 due to global outbreak. The company incurred an estimated loss of Tk 217 crore due to flight cancellations, and reduced cargo operation and ground handling, Mohibul Haque, senior secretary of civil aviation and tourism ministry, told The Daily Star last night. If the situation does not improve in the coming months, Biman will face difficulties in paying its 4,500 employees, of whom 3,329 are permanent, officials said. The airlines may have to seek financial assistance from the government, Mohibul said. Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Ahmad Kaikaus, on March 10 held a meeting with secretaries of different ministries to discuss how the crisis facing trade and commerce could be tackled, sources said. "Other organisations may be able to recover their loss caused by the coronavirus outbreak through extra effort. But Biman won't be able to recover from its losses," said a top official of civil aviation ministry. At present, Biman management will be glad if it can pay the salaries, said the official. Biman is now trying hard to cut costs, said another ministry official. Due to Saudi Arabia's ban on umra, Biman has lost several thousand potential passengers who were set to fly to Saudi Arabia. Uncertainly looms over hajj as well. Hajj pilgrims are the main source of income for Biman. The company is scheduled to carry around 69,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year, Biman officials. Prospective Bangladeshi hajis so far showed lukewarm response to register for hajj, said Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh. Biman Managing Director and CEO Mokabbir Hossain said the airliner has halved its international flights as fewer people are flying due to the global coronavirus outbreak. The national flag carrier suspended flights to several destinations. "We have decided to reduce our weekly flights to 68 from 142 on 10 international routes amid the coronavirus outbreak," he said. Apart from Biman, 12 other airlines operating from Dhaka have also cancelled 98 flights since January, sources at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said. Different airlines have started operating their flights with smaller aircraft instead of large wide-bodied ones. As situation gets worse, many airlines reduced their number of regular flights too. Around 28 airlines used to carry between 20,000 and 25,000 passengers to and from Dhaka airport each day. The number has significantly fallen in the last two months. There are currently 119,711 confirmed cases and 4,351 deaths from coronavirus. Global airlines industry may lose $113 billion in sales if the coronavirus continues to spread, according to the International Air Transport Association. Just two weeks ago, the IATA had been expecting lost sales in the range of $30 billion. Airlines in Europe and Asia would bear the brunt of the pain, according to the IATA. Carriers in Asia Pacific could lose out on sales worth $58 billion. If the virus is contained soon, and economies around the world recover quickly, total industry losses could be limited to $63 billion. https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/biman-braces-bumpy-ride-1879471

Joint exercise ‘Thunder Fist’ ends Staff Correspondent 11 March, 2020 12:00 AM Participants of the ‘Ex Thunder Fist’, a military exercise to tackle terrorism and militancy, receive certificates from US Ambassador Earl R Miler and others on the closing day of the event in Patenga of Chattogram on Tuesday. The first-ever 24-day joint military exercise ‘Ex Thunder Fist’ ended in Patenga of Chattogram on Tuesday. The closing ceremony of the joint exercise to tackle terrorism and militancy was held at BNS NIRVIK- the special force base of Bangladesh Navy. The Para Commando of Bangladesh Army, SWADS (Special Operations Force unit of the Bangladesh Navy), and the special forces of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) took part in the exercise. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) M Saheen Iqbal and Deputy High Commissioner of the UK to Dhaka Javed Patel were, among others, present on the concluding day of the exercise. The operation to rescue hostages, searching in suspected ships, scissor operation, EOD and training on demolition and ultra-modern firearms were the issues to have been done during the exercise. The aims of the exercise were to exchange experience and knowledge about conduction of special operation among the above mentioned forces, says a press release. https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/468305/Joint-exercise-‘Thunder-Fist’-ends

12:00 AM, March 11, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:38 AM, March 11, 2020 Matarbari to play host to deep seaport Project to cost Tk 17,777cr Dwaipayan Barua and Rejaul Karim Byron The government is set to construct a deep seaport at Matarbari in Cox's Bazar to help the country handle rising volumes of exports and imports and ease the pressure on the Chattogram port. The project worth Tk 17,777 crore yesterday got the approval from the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Once completed in December 2026, Matarbari will be the fourth port in Bangladesh. Of the estimated cost, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will put in Tk 12,893 crore and the rest, Tk 2,213 crore, will be borne by the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting. Export and import activities have increased significantly in recent years, so the country needs a deep seaport to support the growing international trade and the economy, the minister said. Under the project, a 26.7-kilometre approach road will be constructed. The approach road will be an elevated expressway. The idea of the deep seaport in Matarbari was conceived after the government started a coal-based power plant project in the area, as a wider channel and a port would be required to bring in the fuel for the plant. State-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh (CPGCBL) is implementing the Tk 35,984-crore power plant project. As part of the 1,200 megawatt power plant project on the same site, almost 90 per cent of the work for creating an artificial channel with 14.5-kilometre long, 250-metre width and 18 metres depth has already been completed. During a visit to Matarbari, it was seen that the world's third-largest cutter suction dredger named Cassiopeia V is busy excavating the channel. On the northern side of the channel, a 1,750-metre breakwater has been constructed in order to protect the channel from the force of the sea waves and mitigate sedimentation. The CPA now plans to enhance the width of the channel by 100 metres, as per the requirements of the proposed seaport. The channel already has a depth of 16 metres and it would be extended by up to 18 metres. The Karnaphuli channel of the Chattogram port has only 9.5 metres depth, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral Zulfiquer Aziz told The Daily Star recently. The planned draft of the channel would allow bigger-sized vessels with capacity to carry up to 8,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers to come in, which is four times the capacity of the ships now accommodated at the Chattogram port channel. The first phase of the port with two terminals -- a 300-metre multipurpose terminal for bulk cargo carriers and a 460-metre container terminal -- would be completed by 2026. Once the first phase is completed, the port would be able to handle 8 lakh TEUs container annually. The shipping ministry approved the acquisition of 1,084 acres of land for the deep seaport to be built in two phases, sources said. Another 288.24 acres of land would be acquired later. Three more container terminals would be set up in the adjoining areas in the second phase, the CPA chief said. Japanese firm Penta Ocean Construction Company, as the sub-contractor, is implementing the breakwater, channel and land development portions of the project. The Chittagong port handled 2.89 million TEUs containers in 2019 and its capacity would be at best 5 million TEUs even after the implementation of several ongoing expansion projects, said Chattogram Port Users Forum Chairman Mahbubul Alam. "The Matarbari port would certainly play a supplementary role in catering to the extra volume of exports and imports in future," he added. Also at yesterday's Ecnec meeting, the green light was given for construction of a bridge over the Payra river in Patuakhali at a cost of Tk 1,042 crore. The project is due to be completed by December 2025. The project was undertaken after Shirshendu Biswas, a fourth-grade student in the district, wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requesting her to construct a bridge over the river in Mirzaganj upazila in 2016. The meeting also approved the Dhaka Sanitation Improvement Project involving Tk 3,855 crore. Of the fund, the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will jointly provide Tk 2,856 crore. The project has been undertaken in a bid to develop the sanitation system in selected areas of the city and improve the institutional and operational capacity of the Dhaka Wasa. Two revised projects also received approval at the meeting. One of them is aimed at improving nutrition through production of fruits round the year. The project was undertaken in 2015 at a cost of Tk 195 crore. The project's cost was revised up to Tk 460 crore yesterday, up from Tk 299 crore in the first revision. The project cost of the 20-storey building of the National Security Intelligence also witnessed a second revision to Tk 352 crore from Tk 249 crore. The original cost was estimated at Tk 88 crore. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/matarbari-play-host-deep-seaport-1879117

10 March, 2020 11:07:02 AM Cabinet okays draft protocol with Russia Rooppur Nuke Plant Independent Online\ UNB The Cabinet yesterday endorsed the draft of a protocol to be signed for receiving assistance from Russia over the operation and maintenance of the Ruppoor Nuclear Power Plant after the construction of the country’s first nuke plant. The approval came from the weekly Cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office. “It’s essential to receive assistance from Russia for properly running and maintaining the Ruppoor Nuclear Power Plant after launching its operation as it’s the first nuke plant in the country and Bangladesh has no experience of the operation and maintenance of such a plant,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said while briefing reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting. The protocol will be signed for bringing amendments to the agreement signed on November 2, 2011, between Russian and Bangladesh on Cooperation Concerning the Construction of a Nuclear Power Plant on the Territory of Bangladesh. The Cabinet Secretary said the Nuclear Power Company Bangladesh Limited will run the Ruppoor Nuclear Power Plant after its construction is completed with the assistance of Russia in line with the existing intern government agreement. He said now the company is recruiting manpower for the operation of the nuke power plant and Russia provides training to them under the general contract signed with Russian Federation. The Cabinet also approved the draft of 2nd Addendum to the Protocol on Inland Water, Transit and Trade (PIWT&T) between Bangladesh and India in a bid to expand trade between the two countries through waterways, said the Cabinet Secretary. According to the draft of the 2nd addendum, Badarpur, Sonamura, Kolaghat, Maia, Jogighopa in India and Ghorashal, Daudkandi, Sultanganj, Aricha, and Bahadurabad shall be added as routes in the PIWT&T signed in June 2015. Besides, Rajshahi, Sultanganj, Chilmari, Daudkandi and Bahadurabad alongside the existing Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla, Sirajganj, Ashuganj, and Pangaon in Bangladesh part have been announced as ‘Port of Call’ in the proposed 2nd addendum, according to the factsheet provided during the briefing. http://m.theindependentbd.com/post/240326

12:00 AM, March 10, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:00 PM, March 10, 2020 Modi defers Dhaka visit Our Correspondent, Delhi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Dhaka visit for attending the launch of Bangabandhu's birth centenary celebrations on March 17 has been deferred, Indian External Affairs Ministry said yesterday. In response to queries, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson for the ministry, said, "We have received formal notification from the Government of Bangladesh that a decision has been taken by them to defer the public events being organised to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on account of the detection of cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh, and the larger global public health situation in this regard. "The impact of this deferment applies also to the large gathering planned for March 17 at which the [Indian] Prime Minister of India was invited." He said, "the Government of Bangladesh has advised us that fresh dates for these commemorative events will be conveyed later. "In this context, Prime Minister's visit to Bangladesh next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being deferred." He also said, "While expressing understanding of the circumstances that necessitates this deferment, India is ready to work with Bangladesh, as partners, to combat the spread of this disease in our shared neighbourhood." https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/modi-defers-dhaka-visit-1878598

Indian media has already reported that he is unlikely to visit. The visit will be postponed.

Myanmar army sues Reuters for criminal defamation: police >> Reuters Published: 09 Mar 2020 10:51 PM BdST Updated: 09 Mar 2020 10:51 PM BdST Myanmar police said the army had filed a lawsuit against Reuters news agency and a local lawmaker for criminal defamation, weeks after the military objected to a news story published about the death of two Rohingya Muslim women as a result of shelling in Rakhine state. After publication, the army said its artillery fire had not killed the women or caused other civilian injuries and blamed insurgents of the Arakan Army (AA), who are fighting for greater autonomy in Rakhine state. The AA denied responsibility and accused the army. Reporters are banned from the area where the incident happened. Police Lieutenant Kyaw Thu, the acting station head in Buthidaung township, in the north of Rakhine state, told Reuters both the news agency and the lawmaker were being sued under section 66D of the Telecommunications Act. The section, which has been used to jail government critics in the Southeast Asian country, outlaws online defamation and carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Kyaw Thu said that police had not yet contacted Reuters about the case and would seek to do so. “We are trying to make an approach in so far as we can, to find out where Reuters news agency is, what kind of organization it is and the reporter and the editor,” he told a Reuters reporter on Sunday before putting down the phone. He said that police had requested permission from the speaker of Myanmar’s national parliament with regards to proceeding with the case against lawmaker Maung Kyaw Zan, who represents Buthidaung. The case follows an army complaint about a story published by Reuters on Jan. 25 in which the lawmaker was quoted as saying that the army’s artillery fire had caused the deaths of the two Rohingya women. The army held a news conference on Feb. 4 to complain about the story, after which Reuters updated the story to reflect the army’s position. The army subsequently filed a complaint objecting to the Reuters story to the Myanmar Press Council (MPC), which adjudicates disputes between authorities and news media. “Reuters stands by the reporting that is of concern to the military and is the subject of an ongoing discussion with Myanmar’s Press Council,” a Reuters spokesperson said. “We do not believe there is any basis for a criminal action against Reuters or our journalists under Myanmar law. We have not seen any criminal complaint against Reuters, and so cannot comment further at this time.” The member of parliament said that it was unfair to bring a lawsuit against him. “As a representative of the people, I listened to what the people told me and I spoke about it,” he told Reuters by phone. “I will just have to face the lawsuit and receive the judgment from the court.” Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military, confirmed the complaint against the lawmaker but said he did not know about the lawsuit against Reuters. Rakhine state is the western region from which more than 750,000 Rohingya fled in 2017 following a military crackdown. Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Hague over the crackdown. The army denies genocide, saying it was fighting a legitimate battle against Rohingya militants who attacked police stations. Two Reuters reporters were released from a Myanmar jail last May after spending more than 18 months behind bars, accused of breaking the official secrets act in a case that sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates. Before their arrest in December 2017, they had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians in Rakhine state. https://bdnews24.com/world/2020/03/09/myanmar-army-sues-reuters-for-criminal-defamation-police

9 March, 2020 09:53:17 AM / LAST MODIFIED: 9 March, 2020 12:52:14 PM Modi's Dhaka visit cancelled The announcement comes after 3 coronavirus cases reported in Bangladesh Independent Online Desk Amid the growing threat of coronavirus in South Asia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be visiting Bangladesh's capital Dhaka after the birth centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were rearranged by Bangladesh government, reports India Today. On Sunday, Bangladesh confirmed its first batch of coronavirus cases. Three people, two of whom had recently returned from Italy, tested positive for Covid-19 as per official authorities. To contain the spread of the virus, the Bangladesh government has decided to redesign the celebrations for Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's centenary birth anniversary on March 17. Kamal Abdul Chowdhury, the Chairman of the Celebration Committee told media that events related to the birth centenary celebrations are either being postponed or scaled-down due to public health considerations related to Covid-19. "We have redesigned the event....it's a year-long celebration. The celebration will continue throughout the year but we will avoid large public gatherings ...Since we have many smaller events later in the year, foreign dignitaries have the option of attending later," he said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to travel to Dhaka on March 17 in the midst of rising concerns in Bangladesh over CAA and the proposed NRC as well as the coronavirus scare. Earlier this month, PM Modi's visit to Brussels to hold a summit meeting with the European Union was postponed in view of the global spread of coronavirus. http://m.theindependentbd.com/post/240184

প্রতিরক্ষা সেক্টরে ফ্রান্সের আরও সহযোগিতা চান প্রধানমন্ত্রী সিনিয়র করেসপন্ডেন্ট | বাংলানিউজটোয়েন্টিফোর.কম আপডেট: ২০২০-০৩-০৯ ৩:০০:৫৫ পিএম প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনার সঙ্গে ফ্রান্সের সশস্ত্র বাহিনী বিষয়ক মন্ত্রী ফ্লোরেন্স পারলের সাক্ষাৎ/ছবি: প্রধানমন্ত্রীর প্রেস উইং ঢাকা: প্রতিরক্ষা সেক্টরে ফ্রান্সের আরও সহযোগিতা চেয়েছেন প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা। একই সঙ্গে তিনি এ সেক্টরে দু’দেশের মধ্যেকার বর্তমান সহযোগিতায় সন্তোষ প্রকাশ করেন। সোমবার (৯ মার্চ) সফররত ফ্রান্সের সশস্ত্র বাহিনী বিষয়ক মন্ত্রী ফ্লোরেন্স পারলে সৌজন্য সাক্ষাতে এলে প্রধানমন্ত্রী একথা বলেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রীর কার্যালয়ে এ সৌজন্য সাক্ষাৎ অনুষ্ঠিত হয়। পরে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর প্রেস সচিব ইহসানুল করিম সাংবাদিকদের ব্রিফ করেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রীর প্রেস সচিব বলেন, বৈঠকে প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা দুই দেশের মধ্যে প্রতিরক্ষা সহযোগিতায় সন্তোষ প্রকাশ করেন। আরও সহযোগিতা প্রত্যাশা করেন। সহযোগিতার ক্ষেত্রে বাংলাদেশ প্রশিক্ষণকে গুরুত্ব দিচ্ছে বলেও উল্লেখ করেন প্রধানমন্ত্রী। প্রতিরক্ষা বিষয়ে দু’দেশের বর্তমান সহযোগিতা বিষয়ে সশস্ত্র বাহিনী বিষয়ক মন্ত্রী ফ্লোরেন্স পারলেও সন্তোষ প্রকাশ করেন। তিনি প্রতিরক্ষা সহযোগিতা বিশেষ করে লালমনিরহাটে স্পেস অ্যান্ড অ্যারোনটিক্যাল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে প্রশিক্ষণের বিষয়ে সহযোগিতা করতে আগ্রহ প্রকাশ করেন। বিভিন্ন ক্ষেত্রে বাংলাদেশ ও ফ্রান্স একসঙ্গে কাজ করার কথা উল্লেখ করে ফ্লোরেন্স পারলে বলেন, আমরা দুই দেশ একসঙ্গে কাজ করছি। বিশেষ করে জাতিসংঘ শান্তিরক্ষী মিশনে। রোহিঙ্গা ইস্যুতে আলাপকালে বাংলাদেশ এ সংকট সমাধানে যে কৌশলে কাজ করছে তার প্রশংসা করেন ফ্লোরেন্স পারলে। রোহিঙ্গা ইস্যুতে ফ্রান্সের সহায়তা অব্যাহত থাকবে বলে জানান তিনি। এক্ষেত্রে মিয়ানমারের ওপর আরও চাপ প্রয়োগ করার ওপর গুরুত্বারোপ করেন। সারা বিশ্বে করোনা ভাইরাস (কোভিড-১৯) সংক্রমণ বিষয়ে আলোচনা হয় বৈঠকে। এসময় ফ্লোরেন্স পারলে ফ্রান্সে করোনা ভাইরাস পরিস্থিতি তুলে ধরেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা এসময় বাংলাদেশে ইতালি থেকে আসা দু’জনের মধ্যে করোনা ভাইরাস শনাক্ত করা এবং তাদের আইসোলেটেড করে চিকিৎসা দেওয়ার কথা উল্লেখ করেন। করোনা ভাইরাস পরিস্থিতি জনস্বাস্থ্যের কথা চিন্তা করে স্বাধীনতার সুবর্ণ জয়ন্তী ও বঙ্গবন্ধুর জন্মশতবার্ষিকী উপলক্ষে মুজিববর্ষের উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠান ভিন্নভাবে উদযাপন করার সিদ্ধান্তের কথা উল্লেখ করেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রী মুক্তিযুদ্ধের সময় ফ্রান্সের সহযোগিতার কথাও উল্লেখ করেন। বঙ্গবন্ধু স্যাটেলাইট-১ প্রত্যাশা অনুযায়ী কাজ করছে জানিয়ে প্রধানমন্ত্রী বঙ্গবন্ধু স্যাটেলাইট-২ উৎক্ষেপেণের পরিকল্পনা কথা জানান। এসময় অন্যদের মধ্যে উপস্থিত ছিলেন প্রধানমন্ত্রীর মুখ্য সচিব নজিবুর রহমান, সশস্ত্র বাহিনী বিভাগের প্রিন্সিপাল অফিসার, প্রতিরক্ষা সচিব, বাংলাদেশে নিযুক্ত ফ্রান্সের রাষ্ট্রদূত উপস্থিত ছিলেন। https://www.banglanews24.com/national/news/bd/776052.details

সীমান্তে স্মার্ট ডিজিটাল সার্ভেইল্যান্স চালু টেকনাফ (কক্সবাজার) প্রতিনিধি প্রকাশিত : ১৫:১৯, মার্চ ০৭, ২০২০ | সর্বশেষ আপডেট : ১৫:৩৭, মার্চ ০৭, ২০২০ কক্সবাজারের টেকনাফে বাংলাদেশ-মিয়ানমার সীমান্তে স্মার্ট ডিজিটাল সার্ভেইল্যান্স অ্যান্ড ট্যাকটিক্যাল বর্ডার রেসপন্স সিস্টেম চালু করেছে বিজিবি। টেকনাফ থেকে বান্দরবানের বাইশফাঁড়ি সীমান্ত পর্যন্ত প্রায় ৫৫ কিলোমিটার সীমান্ত এলাকা এর আওতায় আসবে। এর ফলে মিয়ানমার থেকে মাদক চোরাচালান ও রোহিঙ্গা অনুপ্রবেশ ঠেকানো সম্ভব হবে বলে জানিয়েছে বিজিবি। কর্মকর্তারা জানান, কার্যকর প্রমাণিত হলে দেশের সব সীমান্তে এই সিস্টেম চালু করা হবে। শুক্রবার বিকালে এই এলাকা পরির্দশন করেছে সরকারের উচ্চ পর্যায়ের প্রতিনিধি দল। দলে ছিলেন- স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ের জননিরাপত্তা বিভাগের অতিরিক্ত সচিব (আনসার ও সীমান্ত) মোহাম্মদ সাহেদ আলী, বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশের (বিজিবি) অতিরিক্ত মহাপরিচালক (অপারেশন ও প্রশিক্ষণ) ব্রিগেডিয়ার জেনারেল খোন্দকার ফরিদ হাসান, কক্সবাজার রিজিয়ন সদর দফতরের রিজিয়ন কমান্ডার ব্রিগেডিয়ার জেনারেল মোহাম্মদ সাজেদুর রহমান, টেকনাফ ২ বিজিবির অধিনায়ক লেফটেন্যান্ট কর্নেল মোহাম্মদ ফয়সল হাসান খান, উপ-অধিনায়ক মেজর রুবায়াৎ কবীর, অপারেশন মেজর মোহাম্মদ আসাদ প্রমুখ। এসময় টেকনাফ ২ বিজিবির অধিনায়ক লেফটেন্যান্ট কর্নেল মোহাম্মদ ফয়সল হাসান খান বলেন, ‘প্রথম দাপে টেকনাফের শাহপরীরদ্বীপ পয়েন্ট থেকে সাবরাং পর্যন্ত ১০ কিলোমিটার এলাকা এ প্রকল্পের আওয়ায় এসেছে। এই সব এলাকায় এর সুফলও আসতে শুরু করেছে। দ্রুতগতিতে কাজ চলছে। টেকনাফ থেকে বান্দরবানের বাইশফাঁড়ি সীমান্ত পর্যন্ত প্রায় ৫৫ কিলোমিটার সীমান্ত এলাকা এর আওতায় আসবে। এর ফলে মিয়ানমার থেকে মাদক ও রোহিঙ্গা আসা ঠেকানো সম্ভব হবে। পাশাপাশি সীমান্ত সুরক্ষিত হবে। ইতোমধ্যে আমরা সুফল পেয়েছি।’ স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ের জননিরাপত্তা বিভাগের অতিরিক্ত সচিব (আনসার ও সীমান্ত) মো. সাহেদ আলী বলেন, ‘সীমান্ত ব্যবস্থাপনায় বিজিবি প্রকল্পটি বাস্তবায়ন করছে। এটি যদি কার্যকরভাবে চলমান থাকে তাহলে দেশের গোটা সীমান্তে তা সম্প্রসারণ করা হবে। সীমান্তে র্স্মাট ডিজিটাল সার্ভেইল্যান্স স্থাপন ডিজিটাল বাংলাদেশ গড়ার অগ্রযাত্রায় এটি একটি মাইলফলক। এর দাবিদার শুধু প্রধামন্ত্রীর শেখ হাসিনা। মূলত সরকার প্রধানের নির্দেশে সীমান্তে মাদক চোরাচালান, মানবপাচার ও রোহিঙ্গা অনুপ্রবেশ রোধে এই কার্যক্রম শুরু করা হয়েছে। এছাড়া এটি সীমান্ত সুরক্ষায় খুব কাজে আসবে। পর্যায়ক্রমে আমরা সব করবো। এখান থেকে সুফল পেলে পুরো বাংলাদেশ এ ধরনের সার্ভেইল্যান্স সিস্টেমের আওতায় নিয়ে আসবো।’ তিনি বলেন, ‘প্রথমে স্পর্শকাতর সীমান্তগুলোকে এর আওতায় আনা হচ্ছে। এর পাশাপাশি যশোর জেলার পুকখালীতে ১০ কিলোমিটার আমরা সার্ভেইল্যান্স সিস্টেমের আওতায় এনেছি। আমাদের যাতে সিস্টেমে কোনও ধরনের ঘাটতি না থাকে, কোনও দুর্বলতা না থাকে, সেটাকে কীভাবে মোকাবিলা করা যায়, সে বিষয়গুলো আমরা ঠিক করার জন্য মূলত এখানে এসেছি। আমি গিয়ে মন্ত্রণালয়ে রিপোর্ট করবো। সেগুলো নিয়ে পরবর্তিতে ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হবে।’ https://www.banglatribune.com/country/news/612724/সীমান্তে-স্মার্ট-ডিজিটাল-সার্ভেইল্যান্স-চালু

HAL planning to set up logistics bases in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia & Sri Lanka as part of initiatives to woo the countries to buy India's light combat aircraft Tejas and military helicopters. Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/74539170.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

An open letter to Harsh Vardhan Shringla Taj Hashmi | Published: 00:00, Mar 07,2020 Dear Mr Shringla: I have no reasons to remember names of Indian diplomats and senior employees of the country’s ministry of external affairs, in the past and present. However, despite my age-induced creeping amnesia, I don’t think I will ever forget names like Durga Prasad Dhar, Sujata Singh and, of course, your name, for the right or wrong reasons! While DP Dhar played an important role in formulating his country’s foreign policy with regard to the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971, Sujata Singh and you played the vital role in ‘convincing’ former military dictator Ershad to take part in the farcical parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on January 5, 2014 to ‘legitimise’ the process and the government that emerged in the wake of the so-called elections. I’m neither going to embarrass you further by giving details about how Ms Singh and you coerced Ershad into submission (despite what had appeared to be his stubborn resistance to take part in the elections), nor am I going to give details as to how Gowher Rizvi, the Oxford-educated Awami League adviser, worked in tandem with you, in the most undignified manner! I write this open letter to question you most respectfully why you told a seminar in Dhaka on March 2 that the Citizenship Amendment Act passed by the Indian parliament last year was misunderstood by many, also in Bangladesh. Although I can’t disagree with you more that ‘this is a proactive legislation that has been undertaken on humanitarian grounds… the people who were refugees or faced political persecution and came to India within a cut-off time were allowed fast track citizenship’, yet I consider the whole thing is possibly an internal affair of your country. To me, the most important clause of the act, which only promises Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants/refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan is possibly also integral to India’s internal affair. However, the way you lectured Bangladeshis in the seminar smacks of your whole-hearted support for Hindutva fascism, which is disturbing indeed! You were condescending to the seminar audience, and also in a state of denial in support of the mini genocide that took place in and around Delhi last month. You can rest assured, Mr Shringla, I write this open letter not to embarrass you for being a ‘patriotic’ Indian. However, patriotism in the negative sense of the expression often reminds us of Hitler and his cohorts! I’m sure it was not your naiveté, but a deliberate exercise to hoodwink Bangladesh into believing that India had been keen on resolving all the unresolved bilateral issues between India and Bangladesh, as your country had agreed to sign water sharing agreement on seven common rivers, including the Muhuri, Manu, Dharla, Khowai, Gumti and Dudhkumar, might be signed this year. Why I believe you were being deceptive and totally non-committal to resolving the main issues between the two countries, such as sharing the Teesta waters with Bangladesh, and killing of Bangladeshis by the BSF at the common border, you carefully avoided mentioning what BJP leaders had been telling the world that once the NRC was complete, India would ‘push back’ ‘Bangladeshi intruders’ into Bangladesh, almost two million from Assam alone. I, however, don’t blame you for not mentioning some other problems that India had been creating for Bangladesh with active collaboration of the Bangladesh government, such as: using Bangladeshi roads and highways — which are not adequate for the country’s own needs — to transport goods between West Bengal and India’s north-eastern states (which could be used to transport troops and military hardware posing security threats to Bangladesh in the long run); establishing environmentally disastrous, coal-run power plants in close proximity to the Sundarbans in Bangladesh; and your country’s undue interference in the national elections in Bangladesh in favour of a particular political party since 2008. And, as I have pointed out at the outset, you were also a party to manipulating elections in Bangladesh, at least once, in 2014. I can’t, however, exonerate you for telling something diplomatically unacceptable and in contradiction of the international law. You told the seminar that although the Teesta deal had been almost finalised in 2011, following objections from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the deal was not yet finalised. ‘Given our federal system, an agreement can only be finalised on the basis of consensus among stakeholders. We certainly want to show you that we are working on concluding the deal as soon as possible’, you added. Your sharing some domestic problem of your country (about the lack of understanding between the central and provincial governments) with the Bangladeshi audience was simply unwarranted, undiplomatic, and something not acceptable in the international law and code of conduct. Mr Shringla, unfortunately your fig leaf was too flimsy to hide India’s unwillingness to resolve the Teesta water-sharing issue with Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Narendra Modi is on the same boat which Manmohan Singh was riding to bypass the Teesta issue by putting the blame on Mamata Banerjee. Although the present Bangladesh government seemingly is too willing to accept the ‘Mamata Banerjee story’ in this regard, I’m sure you know Mr Shringla, none having some ideas about international water sharing protocol would give any damn to what chief minister X or somebody else somewhere in India wants or doesn’t want in regards to the Teesta water sharing issue. And, since you and I know that Bangladesh deserves its due share of Teesta waters, you shouldn’t have justified India’s dillydallying in this regard. Your narrating the same ‘Mamata Banerjee story’ to an informed audience in the seminar was simply pathetic; or conversely, an arrogant assertion by the foreign secretary of a neighbouring country, which suffers from some the delusion of grandeur, or which wants to treat all the smaller countries in the neighbourhood as another Bhutan (which isn’t allowed to run its own foreign policy). I’m sorry to write this, Mr Shringla, you spoke like a condescending representative of a colonial power or the ‘Big Brother’ in the Orwellian sense which no Bangladeshi at home or abroad (like me), having some self-respect, dignity, and love for the compatriots is going to like at all! Your finger pointing at Bangladesh as a persecutor of minorities in the past from 1975 to 1996 was beyond all norms of civility and diplomatic code of conduct too. Your denial of any potential adverse effects of the CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens) on Bangladesh is simply untenable. So, many BJP stalwarts are haranguing on a regular basis that millions of Bangladeshi Muslims, or ‘termites’ in your rustic home minister Amit Shah’s parlance, have infested the polity of India. Modi government’s direct attacks on Bangladesh as a country, which maltreats and persecutes its minorities in defence of the CAA and NRC, violate all norms of decency and good neighbourly relationship. And, you were lecturing Bangladeshis in their own territory about the ‘innocuous nature’ of the draconian CAA and NRC! As a historian-cum-security analyst having more than 50 years of research and teaching experience in modern South Asian history, politics, and culture, I have no reasons to believe in what your CAA and NRC apparently stand for. I know it well these are your government’s red herrings and well-thought-of long-term RSS programmes to establish Hindu-supremacy in greater India (from Afghanistan to Indonesia) by crushing the Dalits, tribesmen, Muslims, and other non-Hindus. These are old Nazi-Fascist tactics learnt from Hitler as well as the founding fathers of the RSS. And, Modi and many of his close associates have been RSS members since their youth. I also know it’s possibly only a question of time, given the opportunity, the Modi government is likely to turn India into a fully-fledged Hindutva fascist state. And that would pose an existential threat to Indian minorities, especially Muslims, and a security threat to countries across the Subcontinent, and beyond. On this token, Mr Shringla, your unqualified support for the Modi regime transcends the boundaries of what a government servant is entitled and supposed to do. I assume you are educated enough to know how the Free World treated many of Hitler’s close associates, government employees, police and military officers and troops, and even petty prison guards in-charge of Jewish prisoners. Lynching Muslims in India, surreptitiously or in public, by Hindu fanatics, for allegedly eating or possessing beef, or just for their appearance as Muslims; and the genocidal attacks on Muslims in New Delhi by Hindutva fascists and Hindutva police for three days in late February, what Mamata Banerjee calls genocidal, can’t remain India’s internal affairs any longer! The UN has already registered its concern at the indiscriminate killing of Muslims in India. Mr Shringla, I have reasons to believe the way you lectured some Bangladeshis at the seminar, your over-enthusiasm for the CAA and NRC crosses all limits of diplomatic decency. Although I don’t expect every Indian bureaucrat to become another Dr Harsh Mander, yet you could have relied on your discretion and sense of decency, expected of a qualified person like you. The audience at the seminar didn’t come to hear from you how many hundreds of thousands of people in India the Modi government will allow to apply for citizenship and how many thousands of Pakistanis the same government has allowed Indian citizenship. These are your internal matters; Bangladesh has nothing to do with them. By the way, as the news report which covers your seminar speech also reveals what prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s external affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi told the seminar as chief guest. I wish I could be as optimistic as Dr Rizvi that Bangladesh has nothing to worry about any adverse effect of the NRC only because the Modi government has assured Bangladesh in this regard. Mr Shringla, your speech was ‘full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’, in the Shakespearean way of pooh-poohing some grossly overstated talks and ideas! Your indefensible defence of the BSF’s killing of hundreds of Bangladeshis at the border was simply a horrendous bundle of untruths. I quote, what you said, to refresh your memory (in case you have forgotten what you told the seminar): ‘There have been attacks on border guarding forces on both sides. Deaths on the border are not necessarily confined to the citizens of Bangladesh. There are equal number of Indian citizens.’ Mr Shringla, your assurance to Bangladesh that India was committed to offering the fullest support for any mutually-acceptable solution that would enable the earliest possible return of Rohingyas to Rakhine state in a safe, secure and sustainable manner is also baseless. You know India’s track record in regards to the Rohingya issue is anything but re-assuring for Bangladesh. And, you know there can never be a mutually acceptable solution between Myanmar and Bangladesh to the problem of expulsion of the Rohingyas by the former. You possibly know this could be the likely effect of the so-called NRC operation in India. Meanwhile, your assertion to whitewash Delhi massacre of Muslims by Hindutva-inspired and Delhi police-backed mobs last month tells a lot about what was the purpose of your recent visit to Bangladesh. You have conveniently manufactured a conspiracy theory about the recent Delhi massacre, which you said, could be ‘instigated by any third party’, not by the neo-fascist Modi government! Mr Shringla, as an academic who has spent more than 50 years of his life studying, publishing, and teaching modern South Asian history, politics, culture, and international affairs, I would like to advance a few points for yo to ponder: (a) please, try to understand why India is the only country in the world (which Israel and South Africa used to be in the past) which is hated by all its immediate neighbours, from China to Sri Lanka, and Pakistan to Bangladesh; and (b) while Bangladesh have had strong reservations about the relatively civil Indian governments under the Congress party since the 1970s, the country doesn’t have the stomach to tango with a regime which is blatantly fascistic and hateful of Islam and Muslims. I hope you realise that India can’t win the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of people in Bangladesh by merely having a compliant government in the country. Historically, Bangladeshis have been a nation of rebels. India would be better off by not relying on a handful of unrepresentative ‘representatives’ of the people in Bangladesh. With kind regards! Sincerely, Taj Hashmi, PhD, FRAS Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice Austin Peay State University http://www.newagebd.net/article/101447/an-open-letter-to-harsh-vardhan-shringla

Hovercrafts are definitely for Coastguard. Helicopters are planned for both services. Earlier, rapid response boats were delivered to BCG from Disaster and Relief Ministry funds.

12:00 AM, March 08, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:44 AM, March 08, 2020 Bangladesh: a fertile plain for Japanese investment Says Jica country chief Hitoshi Hirata Jagaran Chakma Bangladesh's per capita income will cross $4,000 within next decade and this will act as a springboard for the country looking to become a high-income economy, according to Hitoshi Hirata, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). In 2019, Bangladesh recorded an 8.15 per cent growth in GDP while per capita income reached $1,906 as per data from the International Monetary Fund. "This is a very rapid growth. If a country achieves an average of more than 7 per cent growth per year, per capita income can be doubled within 10 years. So, it should be very easy for Bangladesh to double its per capita income within 10 years," said Hirata during an interview with The Daily Star on Thursday. Since 2018, Japanese firms began to show interest to invest in Bangladesh and Hirata hopes this trend will continue through the country's partnership with the Jica. "We are very pleased to be a partner that provides support for the development of infrastructure in Bangladesh as it will directly help the country attract more Japanese investors," he said. The Matarbari deep seaport in Cox's Bazar, which is being built with financial backing from the Jica, is a good example of how the agency assists in developing the country. The proposed deep seaport will be accessible for container ships that require more than 18 metres of depth and considering that Chattogram Port, the premier port of Bangladesh, is only accessible by vessels requiring less than 9 metres of depth. Logistic costs should diminish greatly once the project is complete in 2024. The Jica is also involved in the construction of the third terminal at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka, which is expected to be complete within 2023. "These two infrastructure projects will become logistic hubs in the country by 2041 and about 40 per cent of all container ships anchored in the country will be handled at the Matarbari Port," Hirata said. The HSIA will have the capacity to accommodate an additional two crore passengers following the construction of the terminal, for which the Jica is providing 70 per cent of the funding. Currently, the airport can handle eight million passengers a year but that number is expected to reach 14 million by 2025 and 24.8 million by 2035. Besides, 42 per cent of Bangladesh's LNG supply will come through the Matarbari channel by 2041 while power plants in the area will account for 40 per cent of the country's energy production. Therefore, both projects play vital roles in the implementation of the BIG-B concept, which was announced during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Bangladesh in 2014. "Since the plan was declared, our lending commitment to Bangladesh sped up and reached over $2.5 billion per year while it was only $1 billion in 2014," he added. The Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiative, simply known as BIG-B, aims to accelerate industrial agglomeration along the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar belt and beyond, encompassing developing economic infrastructure, improving investment environment and fostering connectivity. Currently, there are more than 40 projects in implementation, of which 31 are being developed to improve infrastructure. This includes a few large-scale schemes for both hard and soft infrastructure. Over the past five years, Japan has more than doubled its support for infrastructure development in Bangladesh and will continue to do so due to good bilateral relations, said Hirata. Bangladesh has improved immensely in areas such as power generation, transport and port facilities in the last 10 years and this led to greater foreign investment in the country. "Therefore, both Bangladesh and Japan will benefit from the projects currently in implementation as it will attract more foreign investors, including Japanese ones, for various sectors," the Jica chief representative to Bangladesh said. Movement from Dhaka to Chattogram has now become far smoother thanks to the JICA's support in the construction of three bridges: Kanchpur, Meghna and Goumti. "We tried to improve the infrastructure level between Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox' Bazar under the Big-B initiative to help attract foreign direct investment, not only from Japan but from other countries also," he said. Bangladesh is very promising for Japanese investors due to the rapid economic growth shown by the country for the past few years. Besides, there is also a massive consumer market. The purchasing capacity of Bangladesh's middle class is on the rise and the people are very comfortable with Japanese products, according to Hirata. "If you consider the history of Japanese investment abroad, you will notice that the island nation first invested in ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia before going on to Singapore." "Upon closer inspection, you will see that Japanese firms began investing in these countries in greater numbers once the infrastructure of those countries was developed." "Now the next destination is definitely Bangladesh as infrastructure improvement is going on," Hirata said. The number of Japanese firms operating in the country will also increase after the completion of the Japanese special economic zone in 2021. After that, automobile, food processing, and leading manufacturing companies will come to Bangladesh and help diversify the economy, he said. However, the ease of doing business in the country needs to be improved if Bangladesh hopes to compete with neighboring countries like Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia, he added. Bangladesh's taxation system, customs duty, enforceable policies and value added tax system are some of the major challenges faced by Japanese firms looking to invest in the economy. Investors make their decisions based on government policies. Therefore, if any government frequently changes policies on an ad-hoc basis, investor confidence is lost. "Investors need policy support, and incentives to invest in any economy," said Hirata, adding that countries like Myanmar and India constantly improve their policies and incentive plans to attract FDIs. Hirata also lauded the government's long-term plans while insisting that Bangladesh can become a developed country by 2041 if the economy continues to grow. The government will need to provide quality education at primary and secondary schools since highly skilled individuals are required to achieve the country's goals, he added. Bangladesh will be a top choice for Japanese companies seeking to expand their businesses in Asia and the Oceania in the next two years due to its high potential and profitability, according to a survey of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). About 70.3 per cent of all Japanese firms in Bangladesh are mulling over an expansion while 23.4 per cent would like to remain the same and 1.6 per cent are considering a reduction. As of December 2019, around 300 Japanese companies were conducting business in Bangladesh with investments reaching $386 million. Just a decade ago, there were merely 82 firms from Japan operating in the country. In another project, the Jica will assist in the construction of a new dedicated railway bridge over the Jamuna river to improve the capacity and safety of rail transportation, said Hirata. The agency also encourages the development of prototype motorcycle parts through technical support to local metal and plastic part manufacturers. Besides, the Jica helped draw up the revised strategic transport plan, which outlined short-term (2025), and mid to long-term (2035) transport plans for Dhaka. The plans were approved in 2016. The ongoing construction of metro rail and bus rapid transport projects will help solve the city's traffic congestion and could save over 35 million man-hours per day, according to Hirata. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/bangladesh-fertile-plain-japanese-investment-1877923