News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion

[Skies]

Greenpeace hands Rainbow Warrior ship to Bangladesh

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday it had handed over its iconic protest ship Rainbow Warrior II to a Bangladeshi charity which will turn it into a floating hospital.

Greenpeace said it hoped that the charity, Friendship, would continue to use the ship as a beacon of hope.

"This ship has carried people from around the world and has stood as an icon of hope over pessimism and as an emblem of action over complacency. It is time to pass that task on," said Mike Fincken, Rainbow Warrior II captain.

Friendship has renamed the vessel Rongdhonu, which also means Rainbow, and will turn it into a hospital ship.

From plying the high seas to protest against whaling and nuclear testing, the ship will now stay close to shore to deliver medical assistance to impoverished communities in Bangladesh, Mr Fincken said.

"The Rongdhonu will enable Friendship to bring aid to inaccessible parts of Bangladesh that are already experiencing the effects of climate change," he said.

Greenpeace's original Rainbow Warrior was sunk by French intelligence agents in 1985 in New Zealand in a bid to stop activists from protesting against France's nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean.

It was replaced by Rainbow Warrior II, which first sailed for the organisation in 1989.

The ship confronted environmental crimes and nuclear testing, provided disaster relief to victims of the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia, and blocked shipments of illegal timber from the world's rainforests, Greenpeace said.

The vessel also "sailed against over fishing, whaling, war, global warming and other environmental crimes on every ocean of the world," it said.

Before coming to Singapore for the handover, the ship carried out radiation sampling in waters off Fukushima, the site of the nuclear power plant damaged during the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March.

It will set sail for the Bangladeshi port of Chittagong after the handover.

Construction of a new Rainbow Warrior, the third ship to bear the name, is nearly complete in Germany. It will join the Greenpeace fleet in October when the organisation marks its 40th anniversary.

 

[akash57]

Noakhali strikes fresh gas

Dhaka, Aug 17 (bdnews24.com)—After around eight months of exploration, the state exploration authority has found a new reserve of gas at Sundalpur field in Noakhali and started experimental extraction, an official says.

Abdul Halim, project director of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex), told bdnews24.com that the experimental lifting started around 9am on Wednesday.

"The experimental lifting will continue for two or three more days. How much gas reserves are there will be known after the gas pressure is calibrated," he added.

Data derived from a seismic survey had suggested drilling 3,500 metres below the surface, the project director said they found the gas only 1,400 metres below.

Halim also suggested it would be possible to supply gas to the national grid by the end of the year.

On Dec 21 last year, Bapex started digging a well to explore oil or gas at the 3.5-acre field at Shahzadpur village of Companyganj upazila in the district.

At the start of the exploration, Halim had said there might be 500-700 billion cubic feet gas in the field.

bdnews24.com/arr/ost/jr/tk/bd/1629h

Noakhali strikes fresh gas | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

 

[mil-avia]

Dhaka to host 2011 ICC WWCQ in Nov

Dhaka, Aug 17 (bdnews24) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier (WWCQ).

The event which is scheduled to be played from Nov 14 to 25 in Dhaka, will feature 10 teams playing in four venues across the city.

The four venues are Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Narayanganj Osmani Stadium, BKSP 1 and BKSP 2.

Bangladesh will be joined by South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, USA, West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Japan to battle it out for the four remaining spots at the 2013 ICC Women's World Cup which will be hosted by India.

England, Australia, India and New Zealand have already qualified for the event by virtue of finishing in the top four at the 2009 ICC Women's World Cup.

GROUPS:

Group A: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and USA

Group B: West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland, Japan and Bangladesh



Related link : post # 207 of another thread

 

[mil-avia]

This is a black and white real picture postcard of Dhaka. It shows a beautiful view of Hotel Inter-Continental (later renamed "Sheraton", again renamed "Ruposhi Bangla" few months ago). This postcard was published by Studio Inter-Continental. This postcard was sent to West Germany in 1968. The stamp showing poet Nazrul is still attached on its back :

This hotel now has more buildings as shown in post # 969

 

[mil-avia]

A VIP room of the Rest House of the Nilgiri Hill Resort operated by the Army in Bandarban district (Nilgiri area has magnificent scenery like Sajek) :

Another photo shot from Sajek army camp in post # 971 of this thread and related firearms photo in # 221 of Bd Army thread and another old weapon photos with links in # 962 of BMT (N&P) thread

 

[Md Akmal]

Ah, those days. So clean, empty and open

I heard Chittagong used to a very beautiful city.

@ Yar, this the Dhaka University library near TSC.

 

[mil-avia]

Sunset in Kuakata beach of Patuakhali :

 

[mil-avia]

A boy washes his hands using rainwater that is flooding a dry
field in Dhaka, March 2008 :

Photo shot by : Rodrigo Bravo

 

[mil-avia]

Continental Shelf
UN hears Dhaka's claim on Aug 25

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bangladesh to seek rights over resources in Bay upto 400-460 nautical miles from the coast

The United Nations will hear Bangladesh's claim on the continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal on August 25, months after Dhaka sought international arbitration following disputes with neighbouring India and Myanmar.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni will present Bangladesh's case in the hearing scheduled at the UN headquarters in New York, official sources said in Dhaka.

Bangladesh's claim on the Bay of Bengal continental shelf extends up to 400-460 nautical miles (850 km) from the coast. Dhaka says it should have total rights over the undersea natural resources within this area.

The continental shelf is an undersea extension of a continent which can stretch for many miles out to the sea. Many nations have asserted mineral and land rights to their associated continental shelves since these are rich in natural resources.

Bangladesh submitted its arbitration on February 25 to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), a UN body that deals with the continental shelf.

This was Bangladesh's first such move since its independence 40 years ago.

In New York, Dipu Moni will make an opening statement on August 25 and Additional Foreign Secretary Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshid Alam will give a technical and scientific presentation in support of Dhaka's claim.

The presentations are considered significant as the UN will decide whether Bangladesh's claim is logical or not. Dhaka will have to establish and prove that its claim is genuine, and counter India and Myanmar's claim over the continental shelf.

Bangladesh's claim is that the dispute should be resolved on “equity principle” meaning that the countries adjacent to the Bay of Bengal would get proportional areas in the zone. India and Myanmar favours "equidistance" system to get bigger maritime areas.

Under a UN charter, the principle of "equity" takes into account a country's population, economic status and needs, GDP growth, and other human issues, while the "equidistance" system marks the boundary through geometric calculations.

In 1974, Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia to have declared its jurisdiction on territorial waters, economic zones, and continental shelf by legislating the Territorial and Maritime Zones Act.

A UN settlement of the dispute will also allow Bangladesh's unhindered exploration of oil and gas resources in the Bay.

Bangladesh has selected 28 offshore blocks in the Bay, but India and Myanmar claim that 27 of the blocks belong to their territories. The dispute has unfairly cut off around half of Bangladesh's maritime area, which also has prevented exploring natural resources.

Bangladesh will gain hugely if its claim is accepted by the UN and its courts, said Khurshid Alam. "As per our just claim, the size of our maritime area will be like the size of our country," he added.

On completion of consideration of Dhaka's submission, the CLCS will make recommendations in the light of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), officials in Dhaka said.

They mentioned that before going for the arbitration,

Dhaka consulted the Federal Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) of Germany, GRID - Arendal of Norway, Centre for Coastal and Ocean Mapping of the University of New Hampshire, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, USA.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has provided legal and technical assistance in the final documentation of Bangladesh's submission. Dhaka has also received advisory assistance from Dr Herald Brekke, a member of the UN body CLCS, said the officials.

Talking to The Daily Star, Khurshid Alam, who heads the UNCLOS wing at the foreign ministry, said Dhaka formally objected to Delhi's submission to the CLCS on May 11, 2009. “We dispute the Indian claims on areas of outer continental shelf since these are part of the natural prolongation of Bangladesh,” he said.

Myanmar made a submission to the CLCS on December 16, 2008. Dhaka objected to it as Myanmar claimed natural prolongation areas of Bangladesh, Khurshid added.

 

[mil-avia]

Clouds below Nilgiri hill resort run by the Army :

Relaled photo in post # 983

 

[mil-avia]

Move to turn Laldighi to pool illegal: HC

Sun, Aug 21st, 2011 9:32 pm BdST

Dhaka, Aug 21 (bdnews24.com) — The High Court has declared illegal the Chittagong City Corporation move to turn the landmark pond Laldighi to a swimming pool.

The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Gobinda Chandra Tagore made the order on Sunday.

The court on May 18 last year had ordered authorities to postpone the move following a petition of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

It had also asked why the activities to convert the pond to a swimming pool should not be declared illegal and why an order to preserve it as a pond should not be issued.

It was said in the petition that Laldighi is a historic place with memories of language movement in 1952 and Liberation War in 1971. The CCC plan also mentioned it as a pond and that it needed to be protected.

On Apr 20 last year, Chittagong-based daily Dainik Azadi had run a report over the move.

Lawyer Iqbal Kabir Liton argued the case for the petitioner at the hearing while deputy attorney general A B M Altaf Hossain stood for the state.

 

[Skies]

Bangladesh animal activist saves dogs from brutal culls

By Shafiq Alam (AFP) – 1 day ago

DHAKA — Dozens of dogs had been beaten to death and tossed into the back of the Dhaka city garbage truck by the time Rubaiya Ahmad got home and realised her beloved pet Kastanka was among them.

Rubaiya's puppy had been registered, vaccinated and was wearing a collar but she was still swept up by the Dhaka City Corporation team during one of their routine anti-rabies culling drives, which kill up to 20,000 dogs a year.

"The dogs were heaped on the garbage truck, their necks and legs were broken and they were bleeding from their mouths. It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen -- I threw up," Rubaiya said, describing the 2009 incident.

"I took Kastanka's body out of the truck, buried her and then pledged that I would stop this brutal dog culling once and for all," she told AFP in her one-room apartment which she shares with three dogs and six cats.

Rubaiya set up Obhoyaronnyo (Sanctuary) and launched a campaign to convince authorities in Dhaka -- a fast-growing megacity of 13 million -- that culling is not the best way to deal with their 150,000-strong stray dog population.

Two years on and the 35-year-old University of Texas graduate has achieved more than she ever imagined. In 2011, for the first time ever, Dhaka has not launched a mass dog cull

Usually, every year in July the Dhaka City Corporation starts its culling drive in a bid to stamp out rabies, which official figures say kills more than 2,000 people a year in Bangladesh.

Teams of people, armed with iron tongs, sticks and lethal injections, are sent out to capture and kill any dog found roaming the streets. Most often, activists say, the dogs are simply beaten to death.

But, thanks to Obhoyaronnyo's campaign, the city is now looking for new ways to manage the street dog population, said Brigadier General Nasiruddin Ahmed, head of health services at the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).

"We have stopped culling except some emergency cases, such as when rabid dogs attack schoolkids," he told AFP.

Azmat Ali, chief veterinary officer at the city corporation, has led dog culling squads for years -- and was in charge of the raid that killed Rubaiya's puppy Kastanka -- but now, he said, he's realised culls don't work.

"Mass dog culling is counter-productive. It does not contain the dog population or control rabies -- it only aggravated the situation," he said.

"We killed dogs by the thousands. But immediately after a cull, the streets fill up again with new dogs, many of whom are rabid, coming from Dhaka's suburbs," he said.

Sterilisation and vaccinations are better ways of managing the city's dog problem, Ali said.

"The way we culled dogs was inhumane. Dogs have been the friends of humans for thousands of years, yet we were killing them," he said.

Next month, Obhoyaronnyo and Bangladesh's Health Department will send six Bangladeshi vets to the Indian city of Jaipur to learn how sterilisation can work to control the stray dog population in a city.

The training is being funded by US-based pet rights group Humane Society International, which is also bankrolling the initial cost of launching Bangladesh's new dog sterilisation programme.

"Once we have the trained vets and the necessary infrastructure in place for sterilisation and vaccination of street dogs, we'll even stop the emergency cullings," said Ahmed.

It is a swift victory for Rubaiya, who only returned to Bangladesh in 2006 after spending a decade in the United States.

The moment she was back in Dhaka, she fell in love with street dogs and turned her tiny Dhaka apartment into a mini-sanctuary.

"Nowhere in the world are dogs treated so badly as in Bangladesh," she said.

Many religious citizens in this Muslim-majority nation -- including Rubaiya's parents, who initially didn't understand her animal rights work -- consider dogs "unclean," and do not care how they are treated, she said.

"This attitude gave the authorities a licence to kill dogs. We have struggled to drive home the message that Islam as a religion does not prescribe brutal treatment of dogs," she said.

Obhoyaronnyo works primarily with city authorities, but has also turned to social media such as Twitter and Facebook to organise protests.

In February, hundreds of animal lovers, including the wife of the Canadian envoy in Dhaka, marched to the DCC's main office holding placards and shouting "don't kill, sterilise".

"The DCC did not realise that so many people, including children and students would turn out," said Mahrukh Mohiuddin, a protest organiser and Obhoyaronnyo member.

"We managed to send the message that culling must stop. Sterilisation is the best, affordable and most effective way to stop rabies," she said.

For years, the image of her puppy Kastanka lying dead in the dog-culling team's truck gave Rubaiya nightmares. But now she says she can finally sleep in peace.

"I'm happy for all Dhaka's dogs -- at last there will no more death squads chasing them," she said.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

 

[akash57]

Govt to repair 5000-km roads in 6 months

Dhaka, Sept 2 (bdnews24.com)—The government is set to implement a six-month-long project aiming at repairing around 5,000 kilometres of roads across the country, according to the communications minister.

"We will launch the periodic maintenance work for all damaged roads and highways across the country by Sept 15 and it will be completed within six months from its inauguration," Syed Abul Hossain was quoted by state-run news agency BSS as saying during a sudden visit to Gazipur on Friday.

He said the emergency repairs on the highways was "almost complete" and his ministry was confident that people would be able to return safely and more comfortably after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr.

Communications secretary Mozammel Haque Khan, who accompanied the minister, said that they needed around Tk 36 billion to complete all the emergency and periodic maintenance for about 5,000 km roads.

He said the ministry had so far received Tk 8 billion from the government's promised Tk 21 billion fund for road reconstruction.

"The finance ministry has released Tk 6.9 billion for emergency reconstruction of 2,000 km damaged roads and released another Tk 1.07 billion from the approved fund of Tk 14 billion to repair other 3,000 km roads," Mozammel was quoted as saying by the BSS.

The ministry further estimated that to complete all the maintenance work within stipulated time it would require another Tk 15 billion.

"We wrote to the prime minister and the finance ministry about the requirement and requested them to immediately approve the fund so that all the roads could be permanently reconstructed at the same time," the secretary said.

Roads and Highways Department (RHD) acting chief engineer Abdul Quddus said the repair of 2,000 km roads including the 120 km Dhaka-Mymensingh highway was near complete.

There were 40 ongoing projects involving the Tk 6.9 fund, disbursed by the finance ministry in July.

He said reconstruction of another 3,000 km roads were going on in full swing under 320 different projects at an estimated cost of Tk 14.1 billion.

Mozammel, however, blamed the finance ministry for delaying in releasing funds.

bdnews24.com/corr/pks/2021h

Govt to repair 5000-km roads in 6 months | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

 

[Avisheik]

67.6pc women literate in Bangladesh

The literacy rate of women in Bangladesh is 67.6 percent, said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday.

He said the government has ensured equity in male and female student ratio at primary and secondary levels, yet reducing the drop out rate and ensuring standard education at all levels remain a big challenge, said an official handout.

The minister made the observation when presenting a country paper at the first plenary session of an international conference at Manekshaw Centre's Ashoka Hall at New Delhi in India on the occasion of World Literacy Day.

The conference titled 'Women's literacy for inclusive and sustainable development' was jointly organised by Unesco and the Indian government.

Indian President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the conference.

Nahid said, as per the Dakar Declaration, the government has taken initiative to ensure cent percent enrolment in primary school by 2011 and standard education for all by 2014.

Nigerian Education Minister Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i presided over the session while State Minister for Indian Human Resources Development Dr D Purandeshwari, Minister for Education and Literacy Department of Pakistan Pir Mazhar-ul Haque, Education Minister of Sri Lanka Bandula Gunawardhana, Deputy Education Minister of Indonesia Fasli Jalal also spoke.

 

[mil-avia]

Laptop production takes off in Bangladesh today :

Related link : post # 952