Category: Bangladesh
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How dangerous are the Afghan returnee militants of Huji-B?
Bangladesh has been talking about Islamist militancy and extremism, or an armed struggle to establish a Shariah-based state, since early 1999. Members of the Bangladesh branch of the Pakistani militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al-Islami or HuJI attacked poet Shamsur Rahman with the intention of killing him on January 18 of that year. After that, in…
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1971 Genocide: Ukhiya Buddhists fled to Arakan to save their lives
After the Pakistani military launched genocide in East Pakistan on March 25, 1971, to suppress the Bengali resistance for an independent Bangladesh, other Bengalis linked to Islamist parties became their supporters and formed auxiliary forces, like the Peace Committee, Razakar, al-Badr, al-Shams, and Mujahid Bahini, across the country. The collaborators were mainly tasked with assisting…
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What are the political reform proposals for Bangladesh already available?
Ever since the student leaders of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti announced a government-ouster movement on Saturday, the social media and mainstream media have flooded with nominations for the new prime minister from civil society, the main opposition BNP and Islamic scholars. Some are also suggesting the names of Cabinet members. Yet, no one has come up…
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Bangladesh anti-quota movement: Dangers of open social media in the third world
When some top media outlets and their sympathizers in the opposition, civil society and young generation work together against the establishment, it may not take too long to unseat a government. It’s not surprising that a harsher reaction from the executive and legislative bodies of the State is imminent. The incumbents would try their best…
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Don’t normalize hatred, brutality and politricks, pls!
Overenthusiasm and inaction are both harmful in crisis times. Since childhood, humans usually learn about the standard of living from their surrounding environment, from parents to classmates to birds and animals. As they grow up, many children spontaneously learn about while some are taught the dos and don’ts—both social norms and laws of the land.…
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Why has the US been dismayed with Sheikh Hasina since 2009?
Even though the two countries have maintained a bilateral relationship, the United States, under three different presidents, has always been critical of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League for some of her major political decisions that hurt US interests related to Grameen Bank founder Dr Muhammad Yunus, the trial of war criminals linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, the hanging…
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Bangladesh’s drug problem is deep-rooted, unstoppable
Over the past four decades, Bangladesh has been alarmed by the rise of new synthetic drugs, the number of drug addicts among adolescents and young women, drug smuggling, drug-related crimes, substandard rehabilitation centres, and lax monitoring and enforcement of laws. During this period, successive governments have formulated new laws and modernized some age-old laws, increased…
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SWATCH OF NO GROUND: Bangladesh’s mysterious submarine canyon
Formed over 125,000 years ago from the Ganges River systemHome to Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Bryde’s whalesAdventurous tourists want easy access to the site This feature was published in Dhaka Tribune on February 24, 2024. In 2021, the people were surprised as to whether there were whales in the Bay of Bengal as they discovered a…
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Entrepreneurship: How digital tools are helping people overcome financial crises
Since early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused thousands of layoffs, especially in the informal sector, and compelled daily wagers to stay home. The loss of earning sources devastated these families, and many left the capital for village homes to cut expenses. Even the income of many affluent people involved in wholesale and retail businesses,…
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Do humans learn from animals?
In the grand tapestry of life on Earth, humans have thrived by learning invaluable lessons from the myriad beings that share this planet with us. The wisdom that animals and nature have bestowed upon us is immeasurable, ranging from the straightforward tasks of gathering food to the intricate ones of building boats and aircraft. However,…
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US interests, accusations of ‘Arab Spring’, and Bangladesh’s path forward
In a recent twist of geopolitics, Russia has accused the United States of planning events to destabilize its close ally Bangladesh following the January 7 elections. The allegations, drawing parallels with the “Arab Spring”, shed light on the intricate dynamics of great power competition in South Asia. Earlier, China slammed the US for its alleged…
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What did the Biden administration seek from Sheikh Hasina?
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League came under great pressure at home and abroad from the very beginning regarding the dramatic results of the 2018 parliamentary elections and allegations of vote rigging—that too after a lopsided election in 2014. Her government had to face one rumor after another, harsh controversies and criticisms for corruption, irregularities, inefficiency, nepotism…
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JUNE 22, 1971: US was nonchalant when Syed Nazrul sought recognition
The Nixon administration decided to keep mum when it received the first formal request for US recognition of Bangladesh in June 1971 and announced support for a unified Pakistan. Dated “Mujibnagar”, April 24, the letter requested President Richard Nixon’s immediate US recognition of the “sovereign independent People’s Republic of Bangladesh” and establishing diplomatic relations with…
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2023: Will the BNP be victorious between Eids?
The ruling Awami League has been in power since 2009. Its archrival BNP has often declared dates during intense public protests, notably before the general elections of 2014 and 2018, but has been unable to overthrow the ruling party. They abstained from the 2014 elections but decided to participate in the following one as a…
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May 10, 1971: Pakistani military ruler Yahya invites Awami League to form government
In early May during the Liberation War, Pakistan President General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan was pondering the transfer of political power without holding fresh elections. He was in favour of the Awami League forming the nucleus of the government in East Pakistan as it swept a landslide victory in the December 1970 elections, except for…
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1952 Language Movement Series: Not 5, dozens were killed on February 21-22
Bangalees started getting united to thwart possible attempts to undermine Bengali in July 1947, a month before the establishment of Pakistan and India based on religion, as they sensed the political leadership in West Pakistan would prioritize Urdu. They were right. The initiatives, taken by the West Pakistani rulers and supported by some Bangalee Muslim…
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THE BLOOD TELEGRAM: How a US envoy exposed genocide by Pakistan Army
While the Nixon-Kissinger administration continued supporting military strongman General AM Yahya Khan, who launched a crackdown to “maintain the integrity of Pakistan,” a diplomat in Dhaka urged the US government to express shock, describing the atrocities in a telegram on March 27, 1971. “Selective Genocide” was the title of the telegram sent by Consul General…
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নারী তুমি রুখে দাঁড়াও যৌন নির্যাতনের বিরুদ্ধে
রাস্তাঘাটে নারীরা যৌন হয়রানির শিকার করলে কি করা উচিত – এ ভেবে অনেকেই কূল পাননা। বেশিরভাগ ক্ষেত্রেই হয়তো দেখা যায় নির্যাতিতরা মাথা নিচু করে ঘটনাস্থল ত্যাগ করে। এক্ষেত্রে বড় একটা নিয়ামক হলো নির্যাতনকারী অপরিচিত ও ঘটনা অপরিচিত কোন এলাকায় ঘটলে নারী ও মেয়েশিশুরা সাধারণত প্রতিবাদ করতে ভয় পান। আবার অন্যদিকে অনেক সময় কেউ কেউ প্রতিবাদ…
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