Bangladesh garment hub reopens after unrest
Dhaka: Hundreds of garment factories in a Bangladesh manufacturing hub reopened Friday, days after they were closed down due to unrest sparked by the country's worst industrial tragedy, employers said.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association shut down the factories at the Ashulia industrial area on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka earlier this week after tens of thousands of workers went on the rampage.

But the BGMEA, which represents the country's 4,500 garment manufacturers, decided late ... Read More

Fire at Bangladesh Garment Factory Kills at Least 7
A fire at a garment factory in Dhaka killed at least seven people, highlighting the dangers plaguing the Bangladeshi clothing industry two weeks after another factory collapsed in the country’s worst industrial disaster.

The fire broke out overnight at Tung Hai Sweaters Ltd. killing the owner of the factory, according to Nazrul Islam, a spokesman for the Bangladesh Fire Service. The plant was closed for the night and there were no workers inside, according to ... Read More

Reports Say 15 Killed in Bangladesh Clashes
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — At least 15 people died in clashes Monday between police and Islamic hardliners demanding that Bangladesh implement an anti-blasphemy law, police said.

A police official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said eight people, including two policemen and a paramilitary soldier, were killed in clashes in Kanchpur just outside the capital, Dhaka.

... Read More

Begum Losing Legs Is Bangladesh Women’s Faustian Bargain
By Mehul Srivastava

Escape seemed near that afternoon of April 24, hours after the eight-story building where she worked outside Bangladesh’s capital collapsed, especially when so many more had died -- more than 600 at last count. But before she could be rescued, Pakhi, whose name means little bird, faced a life-altering decision: She could be freed only if rescuers hacked off her legs.

She begged for hours. The rescue team said no. The army, ... Read More

Bangladesh Islamic politician sentenced to death
Dhaka:

A Bangladesh tribunal convicted a top Islamic party politician on Thursday of atrocities stemming from the nation's 1971 independence war and sentenced him to death.

The verdict against Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was the fourth verdict in Bangladesh's war crimes tribunals since January, and many feared it could spark another wave of deadly street violence between his supporters and security forces.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called the trials a long-overdue effort at obtaining justice against war criminals ... Read More

A massacre of demonstrators
News reports from Bangladesh allege that a series of attacks on demonstrators have taken place, at around 3am today, May 6, 2013. The extent of the injuries and death is difficult to be ascertained at the moment. The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, gave the figure of deaths as 5. However, several internet reports have mentioned that the number of deaths could be as high as 2,500 or more. Pictures of dead bodies have also ... Read More

14 killed in Bangladesh violence
PTI

Dhaka: At least 14 people have been killed and scores injured in Bangladesh as Islamists, demanding a tougher blasphemy law, fought pitched battles with the police today in the capital, prompting a ban on public rallies.

The newly-floated Hefazat-e-Islam or "Protectorate of Islam" enforced their "Dhaka siege" programme yesterday to mount pressure on the secular Awami League-led government to implement their 13-point demand, including the enactment of a blasphemy law to punish those who insult Islam ... Read More

Government suppressed truth to the UPR Session
Bangladesh participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 April 2013 in the 16th Session of the UPR Working Group in Geneva, Switzerland. The Government's delegation led by Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni presented Bangladesh's national report during the second cycle of the UPR process under the UN human rights mechanisms.

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Odhikar participated in the UPR Session and found that the ... Read More

Bangladesh suspends mayor for building tragedy
Dhaka: Bangladesh authorities on Thursday suspended the mayor of Savar town for approving and failing to shut a garment factory block which collapsed last week killing at least 429 people.

Mohammad Refayet Ullah was suspended because his office had approved the eight-storey Rana Plaza and then failed to take action when cracks appeared in its structure a day before the tragedy, the country's local government secretary said.

Ullah, who for the last 14 years has been the ... Read More

Bangladesh building collapse toll crosses 500
By IANS - DHAKA

Soldiers stand in the rubble, two days after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories collapsed in Savar. |AP
Soldiers stand in the rubble, two days after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories collapsed in Savar. |AP

The toll in last week's building collapse on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka climbed to 501 Friday, the authorities said.

Ten days into one of Bangladesh's ... Read More

The Most Hated Bangladeshi, Toppled From a Shady Empire
By JIM YARDLEY

SAVAR, Bangladesh — Barely 20 miles from the national capital, this gritty suburb is now a dusty, chaotic industrial center littered with factories that produce clothes for leading Western brands. Building codes are often unenforced, regulatory oversight is flimsy and the men wielding power often travel with armed guards.

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... Read More

Bangladesh Arrests Owner of Collapsed Building That Killed 362
By Arun Devnath in Dhaka at adevnath@bloomberg.net

Bangladesh authorities arrested Sohel Rana, the owner of the building where at least 362 people were killed when the factory complex collapsed on April 24, the biggest disaster in the country’s garment industry.

Rana was arrested in the western town of Benapole, along the border with India, and is being flown to the capital Dhaka by helicopter, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, state minister for local government, told reporters at the ... Read More

Attorney General Attacks Family's Right to Represent Prisoners
On 18 April 2013, the Attorney General for Bangladesh Mr. Mahbubey Alam participated in the hearing of a writ petition before a High Court Division Bench of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. The writ was filed by Mrs. Firoza Mahmud, wife of Daily Amardesh's Interim Editor Mahmudur Rahman. Mrs. Mahmud had challenged the order of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka, for sending Mahmudur to police remand in violation of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court.

The ... Read More

Coalition to protest the arrest of bloggers
An international coalition of atheist and humanist organizations, led by the Center for Inquiry, the International Humanist and Ethical Union, American Atheists, and CFI-Canada, will protest the arrest and persecution of atheist bloggers and other dissenters in Bangladesh with demonstrations in New York, Washington, London, Ottawa, and other cities around the world on Thursday, April 25.

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... Read More

Death toll in Bangladesh building collapse at 194, many still trapped
AP

SAVAR, Bangladesh: With deep cracks visible in the walls, police had ordered a Bangladesh garment building evacuated the day before its deadly collapse, but the factories flouted the order and kept more than 2,000 people working, officials said Thursday. At least 194 people died when a huge section of the eight-story building splintered into a pile of concrete.

The disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar came less than five months after a blaze killed ... Read More

Intervene immediately to save the life of detained journalist Mr. Mahmudur Rahman
Today, 11 April 2013, the authorities in Bangladesh have arrested the Interim Editor of a prominent Bangladeshi daily, Daily Amardesh, Mr. Mahmudur Rahman. Officers raided Rahman's office at about 8:30 am and taken away by the Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police. Rahman's arrest is an attempt to stifle dissenting voice. Rahman is in a serious risk of torture and even extrajudicial execution. Rahman is not informed about the reasons for the raid, or arrest. The ... Read More

Indian envoy's car comes under attack in Bangladesh
PTI

DHAKA: Unidentified miscreants today hurled three crude bombs apparently targeting a parked car being used by Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh during a visit to southwestern Khulna district, injuring three people including his driver.

"The High Commissioner (Pankaj Saran) is completely unhurt and there is nothing to be worried about... he will return to Dhaka in line with his visit schedule," an Indian high commission spokesman told .

A police official in Khulna said unidentified miscreants hurled ... Read More

Bangladesh to hold presidential poll on April 29
Dhaka: Bangladesh's election commission has declared April 29 as the date to hold presidential election in the country.

The Chief Election Commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, made the announcement in Dhaka on Tuesday evening at his office during a press briefing, Xinhua reported.

The post fell vacant following the death of President Zillur Rahman March 20 in Singapore, where he was undergoing medical treatment.

We are seeing the completion of an unfinished revolution: Bangladesh High Commissioner to NDTV

Since then, ... Read More

Bangladesh PM rejects blasphemy law
http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/213675219/scat/ba01aa42514dc37d

Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina has firmly rejected demands by Islamists for a new anti-blasphemy law to punish those who defame Islam and Prophet Muhammad. In a BBC interview, she said existing laws were sufficient to punish anyone who attempted to insult religion. Her comments came just days after hundreds of thousands of supporters of an umbrella organisation of Islamists held a massive rally in Dhaka. The marchers called for the death penalty for those ... Read More

UN rights experts appeal to all sides to immediately stop the ongoing violence
GENEVA (29 March 2013) – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today called on all parties in Bangladesh “to cease violence immediately and return to peaceful demonstrations,” after worrying levels of violence have been reported following large-scale protests across the country since 5 February 2013.

The protests have largely occurred in the context of the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal’s trials and verdicts. The Tribunal was established by the Bangladeshi Government in 2010 as ... Read More

Wilkes students to bring Internet to remote Bangladeshi village
WILKES-BARRE - Instead of sleeping in over spring break, six Wilkes University seniors will be wide awake in Bangladesh, working to construct a solar generator that will connect students in a remote village to the Internet for the first time.

"Having Internet access will help the village develop," said Christa Tutella of Wilkes-Barre, leader of the project.

Tutella, Joshua Haag, Bethlehem; Ryan Wood, Kingston; Dustin Hough, Chambersburg; Eric Danko, Dallas; and Suliman Alhojairi, Saudi Arabia, will set ... Read More

President Pranab makes strong case to Bangladesh for granting of transit to India
PTI

DHAKA: President Pranab Mukherjee today made out a strong case for Bangladesh granting transit and connectivity to India, contending that this can pave the way for greater integration in South and South East Asia.

As India presses Bangladesh for the transit to connect its mainland to the northeastern Indian states to address their developmental and security concerns, Mukherjee stressed on transit in the larger context of this country's geographical location.

He said that Bangladesh can act ... Read More

Work of shoddy tribunal
BANGLADESH: Shoddy tribunal has pushed the country to the verge of a civil war

The tribunal on war crimes established in March 2010 has pushed Bangladesh to extreme violence. Since 28 February, the events have taken a violent turn in which almost 100 persons including women, children and police officers have lost life. Several hundreds more are injured, and properties destroyed of which no body in the country has any true count. Many, who have lost ... Read More

Senior Jamaat leader gets death sentence in Bangladesh's war crimes trial
PTI

Dhaka: A top leader of Bangladesh's fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party was today sentenced to death for "crimes against humanity", including genocide and religious persecution, during the country's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

A special Bangladeshi tribunal handed down death penalty to Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the party, amid a nationwide shutdown called by Jammat.

"He (Delwar Hossain Sayedee) will be hanged by neck till he is dead," pronounced chairman of the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal Justice ... Read More

Bangladesh clashes over war crimes verdicts kill 52
DHAKA: Fresh clashes erupted on Friday in Bangladesh, bringing the number of people killed to 52 in violence triggered by convictions for Islamist leaders over war crimes committed during the 1971 independence war.

A rickshawpuller was killed after hundreds of pro-government supporters and followers of the rival Jamaat-e-Islami party clashed with sticks at a market in the northern district of Gaibandha, local police chief Nahidul Islam said.

Security has been tightened around thousands of mosques across the ... Read More

Bangladesh is right in demanding an apology from Pakistan
Pervez Hoodbhoy

A bunch of university students in Islamabad, with whom I was informally conversing yesterday, hadn't heard of either. Of course, they knew of Tahrir Square and Afzal Guru's recent execution. But they showed little interest upon learning that Shahbag Square was in Dhaka and that, as we spoke, the city was seething with protest. Between 100,000 to 500,000 Bengalis had converged to Shahbag to sing patriotic songs, recite poems and read out episodes from ... Read More

Tripura: Hundreds show solidarity with Dhaka protests
By IANS - AGARTALA

Hundreds of people Wednesday gathered at an India-Bangladesh checkpost in Tripura to show solidarity with protestors in Dhaka who are demanding death penalty for those convicted of war crimes.

Intellectuals, law makers, artists, singers, academicians, journalists, writers and poets of Bangladesh and India gathered at the Akhaurah border checkpost and performed numerous programmes to express their solidarity with the protestors in central Dhaka.

Thousands of protestors have assembled in central Shahbag Square in Dhaka ... Read More

Bangladesh Considers Ban on Islamist Party
By SYED ZAIN AL-MAHMOOD

DHAKA, Bangladesh—The Bangladesh government said Sunday it was considering banning an Islamist party that it blames for the death of an online activist who helped organize the mass protests that have swept the nation's capital.

Ahmed Rajib Haider was found hacked to death late Friday in front of his home, police said. The 26-year-old blogger helped coordinate protests to demand harsher punishments for Islamists accused of committing atrocities in the country's 1971 ... Read More

Failure to prevent disappearance is injustice to families
1. Bangladesh is a member of the Human Rights Council since 2006. In the voluntary pledges made by Bangladesh, it has asserted that "t the national level, Bangladesh, a democratic and pluralistic polity, is fully committed to the principles of good governance, democracy, rule of law and promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedom of all her citizens, with particular attention to the rights of women, children and minorities." Bangladesh has further pledged ... Read More

Mass Protests in Bangladesh Expose 40-Year Rifts
By Syed Zain Al-Mahmood

DHAKA—Bangladesh's largest public protests in over two decades swelled, as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the street Friday to demand the death penalty for people convicted of war crimes in the country's 1971 war of independence.

Meanwhile, clashes have intensified between security forces and Islamist protesters who claim Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is using a war crimes tribunal it set up in 2010 to unfairly hound religious conservatives. On Thursday, ... Read More

BANGLADESH: Rights groups urge the international community to make UPR a meaningful process
(Dhaka/Hong Kong: 17 February 2013): After a series of consultations held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Odhikar has urged the international community to participate in their fullest during the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bangladesh. The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva will hold the UPR in April, this year.

The participants discussed key issues concerning democracy, rule of law and fundamental human rights in Bangladesh that should be reviewed ... Read More

Government lacks ‘political will’ to legislate anti-torture bill
1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) once again reiterates the urgent need of criminalisation of torture in Bangladesh where torture is an endemic problem. Torture has been inseparable and deeply entrenched within the law-enforcement and investigation systems of the government. Visibility must be the responsibility of the UN Human Rights Council toward its long-standing member-State. Bangladesh maintains a blatant impunity towards torture by state-agencies, denying survivors access to justice for the heinous crimes perpetrated ... Read More

Dhaka, New Delhi to consolidate ties
India and Bangladesh are set to review and consolidate their relations by holding the high-level second meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission in Dhaka on Friday.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni will lead the respective sides in the high-level exchanges that are expected to contribute to the deepening and strengthening of bilateral relations, said diplomatic sources.

Landmark pact

Mr. Khurshid will visit Bangladesh for two days from February 16, at the invitation ... Read More

Bangladesh cabinet approves extradition treaty with India
Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday approved a proposed extradition treaty with India as the two countries are set to ink a crucial deal later today agreeing to deport wanted "criminals" hiding or lodged in each other's jails.

"The treaty will allow transfer of the convicted and under-trial criminals," Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.

However, he added that the treaty would not be applicable ... Read More

Garment Factory Fire Kills Seven in Bangladesh
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh—A fire swept through a two-story garment factory in Bangladesh's capital, killing at least seven female workers and injuring five others, police and fire officials said.

Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323829504578267630667074360.html
... Read More

Bangladesh War Tribunal Orders Cleric Executed
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A Bangladesh tribunal sentenced an Islamic cleric formerly tied to a fundamentalist party to death on Monday for crimes against humanity for his actions during the country's 1971 independence war.

The conviction of Abul Kalam Azad was the first verdict handed down by a controversial tribunal trying people accused of committing crimes during the war.

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Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/21/world/asia/ap-as-bangladesh-war-crimes.html?hp
... Read More

Bangladesh War Tribunal Orders Cleric Executed
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A Bangladesh tribunal sentenced an Islamic cleric formerly tied to a fundamentalist party to death on Monday for crimes against humanity for his actions during the country's 1971 independence war.

The conviction of Abul Kalam Azad was the first verdict handed down by a controversial tribunal trying people accused of committing crimes during the war.
... Read More

Bangladesh Christian Evangelist Forced To Marry Muslim Woman
Filed under newsletter-asia, Persecution

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Mark Huda JunayedBangladesh, December 22, 2012: A Bangladeshi Christian evangelist, who says he was forced to marry a Muslim woman and pressured to return to Islam, has appeared in front of a Dhaka court for allegedly mistreating his wife.
Mark Huda Junayed said on December 22, that the bride’s family claims he “tortured” her because she refused to handover 200,000 Bangladeshi takas ($2,500) for the traditional dowry.
However, “These charges are false,” ... Read More

No reason why Bangladeshis would come to India: Prof. Hussain.
Over four months have passed since violence broke out in the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in July 2012. In this special series on Bodoland violance, we bring stories of violence, desperation, and also hope from this “tinderbox.” This series has been made possible with financial support from Indian Muslim Relief Committee (IMRC).

Assam, January 2, 2013: Professor Monirul Hussain, Head of the Department of Political Science at the Gauhati University and author of The Assam ... Read More

Government exposes its 'zero commitment' for people's rights
Government exposes its 'zero commitment' for people's rights

The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2012/ahrc-spr-003-2012.pdf/view

The World Human Rights Day is being marked in Bangladesh, as it is being observed across the world, with tremendous frustration and hopelessness concerning the possibility to achieve justice from the criminal justice system of the country. Human Rights Day, on December 10, formally reminds the citizens of their denied and suppressed rights by the ... Read More

India aims to address trade surplus issue with Bangladesh
India today said the issue of its favourable balance of trade with Bangladesh is sought to be addressed by encouraging investments into the neighbouring nation. "It is not acceptable to India at all that we enjoy such a one-sided trade surplus. India's mission is not to export more and more to Bangladesh as it is emotionally close to our hearts.

"We are not here to compete with you in any sector but to encourage business, create ... Read More

Dhaka’s disposable workers
Many Bangladeshi manufacturers don’t see workers as assets. The textile industry treats its workers callously

Salil Tripathi

The ghastly tragedy at the garment factory outside Dhaka last week, in which at least 112 workers, and possibly twice that many, died in a fire should force the Bangladeshi government to act. According to international workers’ rights activists, as many as 700 people have died in such accidents since 2000. A similar fire a century ago in New ... Read More

Tata Motors enters Bangladesh's car market
Source : IANS

Dhaka, Nov 27 (IANS) Tata Motors Tuesday entered the Bangladesh passenger car market, introducing two sedans and a hatchback.

"Bangladesh's customers for new cars demonstrate high discernment. They will see that reflected in our cars. Our service will be easy-to-reach and prompt," said Johnny Oommen, head, international business, passenger cars, Tata Motors.

The company launched its Tata Indigo eCS compact sedan and Tata Indigo Manza, a luxury sedan, as well as Tata Indica Vista hatchback.

The ... Read More

High drama in Bangladesh for Shabana Azmi
By Subhash K Jha

Shabana Azmi created quite a furore in Bangladesh on Saturday when she reached Dhaka to represent her late father Kaifi Azmi who was being honoured, along with 57 other dignitaries from across the world for their support of Bangaldesh's War Of Liberation in 1971.

Shabana who had to be in Dhaka for the function to represent her father had to be back in Mumbai in time for her mother's birthday the same ... Read More

Hasina not to visit Pakistan
Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina overnight scrapped her planned visit to Pakistan to attend an international summit later this month, without citing any specific reason.

Hasina was expected to attend the summit of the Development-8, a grouping of eight nations with Muslim majority population, on November 22, but now Foreign Minister Dipu Moni is likely to represent the premier.

"We have just been informed (by the PMO) that she (Hasina) is not going... she could ... Read More

Bangladeshi team in Tripura
IANS

Agartala, Nov 13 (IANS) A Bangladeshi team Tuesday met Tripura's rural development minister to know how the Indian state successfully implemented various schemes for the development of tribals and rural population.

The 11-member team is led by Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Deputy Secretary A.S.M. Shahen Reza. It arrived here Monday and will inspect various projects, schemes, administrative process and community involvement in the affairs of Tripura's tribal development.

Tripura's Rural Development Minister Jitendra Chowdhury said: ... Read More

Bangladesh-India: Khaleda Zia's visit a sign of changing times
Delhi rolled out the red carpet for a Bangladeshi opposition leader known for her strong nationalistic stances and anti-India rhetoric. Khaleda Zia and her party, meanwhile, are speaking of a "new chapter" and promising to build on better bilateral ties.
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia wrapped up her weeklong visit to India on Saturday (November 3rd), pledging she would do her best to further strengthen relations between the two countries. The warm reception she received ... Read More

100 missing after Bangladesh boat carrying migrants capsizes in Bay of Bengal
Reuters

Cox's Bazar: A boat carrying about 110 Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims from neighbouring Myanmar sank in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday as they were heading to Malaysia. About 100 of them are missing, a Bangladeshi border force officer said.

The boat went down in rough seas off Teknaf, on the southern tip of Bangladesh, Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammad Jahid of the border guards force told Reuters. Twelve people had been rescued and the search was on ... Read More

Salman Khurshid to visit Dhaka next year
India's new External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will visit Bangladesh next year for the second meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Khurshid on Tuesday had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ninth summit of the Asia Europe Meeting at Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Khurshid earlier welcomed Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland into the ASEM. The three countries were officially inducted as new members of the ASEM during the ninth summit ... Read More

Prohibitory orders along Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam
PTI

Karimganj: Prohibitory orders have been promulgated along Assam-Bangladesh international border in Cachar district in view of reports about extremist elements entering the district for creating law and order problem.

South Assam's Cachar district magistrate H K Dev Mahanta promulgated the orders following reports about extremist elements likely to cross the border and enter Cachar from Bangladesh, official sources said.

There is also apprehension of the possibility of illegal export of commodities and cattle from the district to ... Read More

Bangladeshi youth delegation to visit India
A 100-Member Bangladeshi youth delegation will be in India on an eight-day visit starting tomorrow on the invitation of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The itinerary involves interaction with local youth, visits to academic, tourist, industrial and cultural sites. It also has elements of educational values and interactive session in different areas ranging from infrastructure development, eco-tourism to information technology.

This group of youth from Bangladesh comprises youth (Male- 57 and Female-39) from diverse background ... Read More

Muslim protesters torch Buddhist temples, homes in Bangladesh
October 2, 2012

A temple burnt by Muslims is seen in Cox's Bazar September 30, 2012

A temple burnt by Muslims is seen in Cox's Bazar September 30, 2012

Bangladesh, September 30, 2012: Hundreds of Muslims in Bangladesh burned at least four Buddhist temples and 15 homes of Buddhists on Sunday after complaining that a Buddhist man had insulted Islam, police and residents said.

Members of the Buddhist minority in the Cox’s Bazar area in the southeast of ... Read More

Attacks on Buddhist Temples
A hazy picture appears

A motley group comprising local leaders of pro-Awami League organisations, BNP men, madrasa students and common people were allegedly behind the communal violence at Ramu on Saturday night.

Even some Rohingyas were among the attackers, who destroyed at least 12 temples and dozens of houses belonging to Buddhists in the overnight mayhem.

Shamim Ahsan Bulu, a social activist of Fatehkharpul at the upazila, tried to stop a violent procession in the area ... Read More

Missing Christian children found in radical madrasas in Bangladesh
Children from Christian homes were taken to madrasas in Bangladesh

Children from Christian homes were taken to madrasas in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, August 13, 2012: 80 children from Christian homes in Bangladesh were taken under false pretences by mullahs (Islamic clerics) to various madrasas (Islamic boarding schools). Attempts were made to forcibly convert them to Islam. Eleven of the children have been rescued, while the whereabouts of the remaining 69 are unknown.

The children come from the Chittagong Hills ... Read More

Fighting for Bangladesh Labor, and Ending Up in Pauper’s Grave
By JIM YARDLEY

ASHULIA, Bangladesh — His tiny office was lost among the hulking garment factories that churn out cargo pants or polo shirts for brands like Gap or Tommy Hilfiger, yet workers managed to find Aminul Islam. They came with problems. Unpaid wages. Abusive bosses. Mr. Islam, a labor organizer, fought for their rights.

Security forces found Mr. Islam, too. His phone was tapped, the police regularly harassed him, and domestic intelligence agents once abducted ... Read More

43 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants detained in Manipur
Imphal, Aug 30 (IANS) Manipur Police Thursday detained 43 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants while over 300 other suspects were rounded up during a combing operation, police said.

Police conducted a combing operation in Thoubal and Imphal East districts following intelligence inputs about movement of militants in the two districts.

Three vehicles suspected to ferry the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been seized by the Manipur Police commandos.

"Some of the 43 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, have stayed in ... Read More

Export Powerhouse Feels Pangs of Labor Strife
By JIM YARDLEY

ISHWARDI, Bangladesh — The air thickened with tear gas as police and paramilitary officers jogged into the Ishwardi Export Processing Zone firing rubber bullets and swinging cane poles. Panicked factory workers tried to flee. A seamstress crumpled to the ground, knocked unconscious by a shot in the head.

Dozens of people were bloodied and hospitalized. The officers were cracking down on protests at two garment factories inside this industrial area in western Bangladesh. ... Read More

India cross-border hydro project survey in 2 months: BD
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni today said a joint survey with India on a contentious cross-border hydro project is expected to start in the next two months with the two countries in the process of finalising the names of the surveyors.

India's plans to build a hydroelectric dam and irrigation barrage on the common Barak River that enters Bangladesh through its northeastern frontier, had sparked wide concerns in the lower riparian country. "The process is underway ... Read More

Bangladesh's man of the sea ready for biggest honour
DHAKA (Reuters) - Mahfizur Rahman watched his friends turn to cricket, golf and soccer over the years in the hopes of earning a living out of sport, but the Bangladesh swimmer is happy with his decision to stick to the water.

Rahman, whose nickname Sagar means 'sea' in Bengali, believes years of perseverance have paid off after he was handed a wildcard place to compete at the London Olympics.

Despite being crisscrossed by more than 230 rivers, ... Read More