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Books on Bangladesh
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Update No: 025 - (30/01/08)
SUPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH
Bangladesh’s army-backed emergency government has banned two popular live
political talk shows. These shows were primarily political shows that were
hosted by political and civilian leaders and took questions from viewers and
journalists on political, economic, social and cultural issues. ETV, another
television network was banned from operating by a court order issued during the
previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government in 2002. However, ETV came
back into operation last year after foregoing its terrestrial rights. The ban
was the first on the media since last August, when the government briefly
stopped all live private television talk shows as part of a crackdown on student
unrest. The unrest began at Dhaka University where students demanded the army
withdraw from the campus. It spread across main cities of the country, leaving
at least one dead and dozens injured. Not only is free speech becoming a hard
commodity to find in Bangladesh but even in other sectors, one notices grave
problems with the rights and liberties of individuals.
IMPINGEMENT OF LABOR RIGHTS
One such area is labor rights. Recently, Mr Hasan, a Bangladeshi national, was
detained in Dhaka by the Bangladesh intelligence service and is currently being
held for interrogation. It appears that the government plans to bring a number
of criminal charges against him under Bangladesh’s Emergency Powers Rules,
including incitement to riot and/or destruction of property and sedition. Media
reports claim that the detention of Mr. Hasan is part of a wave of state
sponsored harassment and impingement of labour rights organisations in
Bangladesh. The government has also issued charges against the leaders of
several leading labor unions, including the Bangladesh Independent Garment
Workers Union Federation and the National Garment Workers Federation, among
others. Many of these labor right activists have been forced to go into hiding.
Bangladesh’s garment industry in recent years has been marked by frequent
episodes of strikes and riots mainly arising from low wages, unfair hours and
suppression of trade unions. But things seemed to have taken a turn for the
worse with labor right activists such as Hasan being unfairly questioned and
imprisoned without the due process of law. The very right to protest is being
stymied in Bangladesh which is a dangerous sign for a country that is trying to
form a stronger democracy.
BIRD FLU EPIDEMIC IN BANGLADESH
A virulent strain of avian flu has hit Bangladesh, known as H5NI. It is not
clear where the bird flu has originated from. The neighboring state of West
Bengal in India has also recently reported several cases of bird flu but no
cases among humans. While Bangladesh believes that the source of the bird flu is
India, the latter is claiming that this strain of bird flu has come from
Bangladesh! Whatever be the origin, chickens numbering thousands are being
culled in Bangladesh and even in the east Indian state of West Bengal.
Newspaper reports in Bangladesh suggest that 3, 26,844 chickens in about 93
poultry farms in 29 districts and six metropolitan areas have been slaughtered
by the country’s Livestock Department. The areas worst hit by the avian flu
outbreak are located in Bangladesh's southwest districts, bordering India. To
prevent the spread of avian flu, the government has banned the import of all
birds, eggs, feed, or related products from India. Law enforcement agencies are
also on high alert along the border to prevent poultry being brought in from
India. In West Bengal, India, of the 19 districts in the state, 13 have been
affected after South-24 Parganas and West Midnapore were added to the list.
INDIA-BANGLADESH BORDER AGREEMENT
Bangladesh and India have arrived at a consensus on different long-standing
issues in a three-day border conference which was held in Bangladesh’s Bogra
district, northwest of Dhaka. The meeting took place at the Deputy Director
General level, between Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), paramilitary force in
Bangladesh, and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) BDR Deputy Director General
Brigadier General MA Bari reported that Bangladesh has handed over a list of
1,626 alleged “terrorists” who have taken shelter in India. And, Bari’s
contemporary on the Indian side, RA Tewari said that India would soon hand over
a list of the names of 1,000 Indians, allegedly hiding in Bangladesh, to the
Bangladesh government. Both sides seem to be in agreement that the capture of
these terrorists (if that is what they are), would improve the safety and
security of their borders. The conference has also decided to set up an exchange
program or study tour between the two countries for promoting good relations.
The groups from each country will have around 25 students. Also, the Deputy
Director Generals from both countries dealt with other border issues which
included the smuggling of drugs, information exchange and firing without
provocation in border areas. A second high-level meeting between the two border
forces will be held at Shilong in India in mid-February.
CENTRAL BANK PLACES A LIMIT ON INVESTMENT IN BONDS
The Bangladesh Bank, the country’s central bank, has issued a guideline
imposing a cap on investment in bond and debentures issued by private companies.
The commercial banks will be allowed to invest a maximum 10 percent of their
individual total capital in bond and debentures, according to the new
guidelines. “We have asked the banks to invest a maximum 10 per cent of their
total capital in the company’s bond and debentures that may help bring
dynamism in the secondary bond market” a bank senior official told AHN in
Dhaka. The bond and debentures will be approved by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC). At least four financial institutions and one commercial bank
have already issued bonds to raise capital for expansion of their businesses.
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