Bangladeshi Migrants in Singapore

Seen on: YouTube

Migrant workers from Bangladesh are part of a growing number who are being ripped off in highly organised scams. Workers are leaving their homes for the promise of security in Singapore, only to discover they have been duped.

"What's the Problem? With Bangladesh"

Seen on: YouTube

Pressure is intensifying in Bangladesh for the interim government to end its state of emergency and release Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, the country's top leaders. That is according to Al-Jazeera.

Related Link > 'The 2 Women' of Bangladesh

"Probably the worst country in the world"

How do you define a country's status as the world's most maligned? With Bangladesh, there are countless examples of stupid-debauchery.

A Bangladeshi brother had advised me on this country's senseless indulgence in sensual pleasures. He said, "Bangladesh is a country of immoral and ignorant morons, who have never conquered a foreign-land..,". Although I disagreed on his remark, a recent incident has made me re-think the value of this statement.

Barrister Rizwan Hussain, who is a noted tv-personality and dedicated charity-worker in the UK, recently (14th April) escaped from the evil grips of the unruly Bangladeshi armed-forces. Local community channels in the UK, have been constantly repeating their calls for the "Justice for Barrister Rizwan Hussain".

As per tv-reports, the wayfarer Rizwan had decided to speak against the injustices suffered by the general-passengers at Dhaka airport; which is often said to be the most dis-organized and corrupt airport in the world.

In return for his honesty, several members of the Bangladeshi armed-forces decided to teach him a memorable-lesson in physical-pain.

They prowled around him like vicious hyenas. He was taken to a suitable environment for third-degree treatment and tortured for hours, until they realized that he may be a little influential to totally get rid-off. Killing innocent passengers in public by members of authority is nothing new at Dhaka airport.

In the mid 90s, I remember an innocent-soul (Surat Miah) from Teeside being murdered by airport staff in Dhaka. Mr. Rizwan Hussain's experience is just another example of this senseless-deprivation.

I recently drafted an article entitled, "Fuck Bangladesh", and was sometimes perturbed as I belonged to this culture of impunity. Although, it now seems okay and I am ashamed for not finding a more suitable-title for that article.

Truly Bangladesh, you never fail to amaze me!

Facebook Group: Justice for Rizwan Hussain!

Via Bangladesh-Blogger

Whose Rice Is It Anyway?

Not so long ago, a common-man had advised me on the reason for the regular power-failures in Bangladesh. He pointed out that our neighbour India was the sole reason. These incomprehensible thoughts amused me often.

Looking back, I feel those thoughts were somewhat reasonable & justified.

Rice, Friendship & India
Gen Moeen U Ahmed, said that he was "very concerned" about the problem of rice supplies which he said must be redressed immediately. Many people in the country have been hit hard by spiralling food prices, which in some cases have doubled over the last year, mostly because of damage caused by heavy monsoon.
- BBC News, 9 January 2008

I ponder over the thought of ever belonging to a culture that personified its identity through a love-affair with rice. Fish as an accompaniment has always suited us Bengalis. The saying 'Mache-Bathe Bangali' probably derived from there.

However, because of the enormous amount of development, we were eventually portrayed by Khaleda Zia as a nation that prides itself on its appetite for lentils.

Begum Zia's Dall-Bhaat (lentil and rice) approach received both regional and international acceptance as a tangible programme for poverty alleviation in SAARC countries as well as in other developing nations.
- United-Nations, Life Sketch of PM

Today, we are at a crossroads. Its difficult to decide whether we have become self-sufficient enough to deny our brothers on the other-side, their fair-share.

One 'word': Shameless

Via Bangladesh-Blogger

'The 2 Women' of Bangladesh

Seen on: YouTube

In Bangladesh, it is enough to mention "the two women" to touch off an impassioned debate. Whether riding in a rickshaw or taking tea in a lawyer's air-conditioned chambers, there is no need to name Khaleda & Hasina.

> At the Top, at Odds

The Story of Bangladesh

Seen on: YouTube

A short-film containing the truth about Bangladesh. A repressed voice of a freedom-fighter overcomes all barriers to tell us his story. Although he donated his limbs for a so-called freedom, his disability has become a mockery.

Nazrul had written >
Osho'hai jati moriche dubiya, jane'na shontho'ron,
Kandari! Aaj dekhibo tumar matri-mukti'phon.

'Hindu na Muslim?' Oo'i jigga'she kun-jon?
Kandari! Bolo dubiche manush, shon'than m'or ma-r!

Bangladesh Blogger says:

Shame on myself, for the infidelity of consciousness.

Post via Bangladesh-Blogger

Bangladesh-Corruption: Passport

Corruption is a part of each and every Bangladeshi life, both rural & urban.

The presence of corruption has made us obtuse in recognizing corruption. We routinely take part in various forms of corruption, without realizing.

What do you do as a common-citizen trying to obtain a passport, which is your right as a citizen, but; cannot obtain without a bribe? A passport is not-issued until a favourable police verification-report is submitted with an application.


Therefore, a common-citizen must pay a bribe for that. However, if you have power and influence, you will not face these obstacles.

Many of us feel extremely bad when we have to compromise with corruption, unfortunately the only recourse maybe to seek solace with family. We must refuse to surrender to corruption and only a social-movement can liberate us.

Via Shahzaman-Mozumder, Bir-Protik

Bangladesh Blogger says:

I personally had to pay Taka-10,000 to get a passport in Feb, 2007. This unofficial-fee was paid to a a police-officer Called 'Babar', in Sylhet. His mobile-phone number at the time was (017-122-02417). However I resisted, I was told by an elder - this was the norm, "you must pay a fee to the DB-officer..,".

Will write more about-this, soon. God willing.

Student-protest continues in Bangladesh

Students have continued their protests in Dhaka against the leakage of question-papers for exams under the National-University.

Students of Dhaka-College on Tuesday took to the streets and blocked traffic on Mirpur-Road. "The students should not pay for this kind of errors, which is a fault of the authorities." they demanded.

Via Bangladesh-Blogger

Broken-Bangladesh

Quiz: Name a majority-Muslim Asian country, ruled by a military-backed government that has promised to hold national elections this year.

Today marks a year of military rule for Bangladesh. The head of government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, pledged last January "to hand over power to an elected government within the shortest possible time."

There are signs the government means what it says. But there is more to do.

The military government's treatment of the leaders of the two main political parties, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, hasn't engendered trust.

Mr. Ahmed would prove his sincerity by moving quickly to allow the courts to hold transparent, fair trials of those who stand accused.

He'll also have to convince the military to drop nascent-plans to entrench itself in government.

Bangladesh, a nation of 144 million people, is one of the world's poorest countries. It is also home to a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement.

Via WSJ

A Question-of-Honours

The National-University of Bangladesh, has formed a committee to probe the leakege of question-papers for 2nd-Year Honours-English Compulsory-Exams.

The investigation-team is headed by NU-syndicate member Enamul Haque Shaheed, who has been asked to submit its report in seven working days.

At a meeting, chaired by its acting Vice-Chancellor Syed Rashidul Hasan, NU decided to form the probe-committee and announced that the postponed exams, would now be held on January 29/30, sources-said.

Student Protests
Students of Dhaka-College and Eden-College yesterday formed human-chains and demonstrated on the streets of Dhaka, after the revelations.


"We are suffering because of the frequent question-leaks, but the authorities are yet to take any steps," said a demonstrating-student.

Via Bangladesh-Blogger

Rice-Corruption in Bangladesh

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury has termed the ongoing rice-crisis, as a matter-of-corruption.

At a news-briefing, Hasan Mashhud said: "The act that is not acceptable to conscience is corruption. Acute scarcity of rice is corruption."

"I have nothing to do. The government will take steps in this regard.", he said in reply to a question whether ACC would track-corruption behind the crisis.

Via Bangladesh Blogger

> Bangladesh 'facing rice crisis'

The Diplomatic Rift

A row has erupted between Paris and Dhaka after the theft of two ancient-statues led to the cancellation of a ground-breaking exhibition.

Bangladesh scrapped the exhibition at the Guimet-Museum, amid claims that France could not be trusted with some of the country's finest cultural treasures.

French officials pointed out, however, that the 1,500-year-old statues were stolen amid insufficient security controls in Dhaka, and claimed that the exhibition had fallen victim to a plot involving art-traffickers and opponents of the Bangladeshi regime.

The artworks disappeared from Zia international airport, Dhaka, before they could be loaded on to an Air France aircraft for Paris, where the first important international exhibition of Bangladeshi relics was due to open next month.

The theft of the two representations of Vishnu, sparked a political crisis in Bangladesh and prompted the resignation of Ayub Quadri, the cultural affairs adviser.

With the controversy over the loss of the statues increasing in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi government withdrew authorisation for 143 remaining relics to leave the country and asked Guimet-Museum to return th 42 objects that had already arrived safely.

French authorities believe that the thefts were organised by corrupt Bangladeshi officials colluding with art-traffickers and government critics.

In a statement, the French-Embassy in Dhaka pointed to "a conspiracy to embarrass France and Bangladesh".

The exhibition of statues, paintings, manuscripts and coins dating from the 3rd century BC to 19th century had already provoked fierce debate in Bangladesh, where opponents attempted to stop the loan of the artefacts with legal action.

Protests continued even after the Supreme Court approved the transfer of the artefacts to France in October.

Shamsuzzaman Khan, a former director of the Bangladesh National Museum, said: "The government should not have agreed to send them abroad."

Intellectuals and artists also opposed the exhibition, saying that France had never returned works loaned for display in the 1950s.

Drafted Via The Times, Paper-Edition, 28 Dec 2007.