Monday, December 4th, 2006The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its quarterly economic update on Bangladesh cautioned yesterday that the present political unrest would take a heavy toll on the country's investment climate.According to the report released in Dhaka, the bank predicted several risks of the country in near to medium term, which included possible political disruption, infrastructure constraints and external volatility in oil prices.The report estimated that output of aus, the first rice crop of the year, would be 24 million tonnes lower than it was in the previous year. It, however, expects higher aman harvest this year compared to the previous year ...
(read more) Friday, September 15th, 2006The ruling BNP and the opposition Awami League (AL) lawmakers were involved in a heated debate in parliament yesterday over the proposed electoral reforms and the open-pit coal mining agreement signed with the Asia Energy. The opposition members criticised Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for her recent speech where she said the election will be held as per the constitution and without any reforms.They alleged that she has ruined the possibility of a dialogue to break the current political impasse.But the ruling party lawmakers said what the prime minister had said in her speech was right and she did not ...
(read more) Thursday, September 14th, 2006Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday in parliament locked horns with previous BNP government's energy minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain over the agreement on open-pit coal mining signed with Asia Energy.Both Awami League (AL) President Hasina and Mosharraf showed documents in support of their arguments.Mosharraf, now health minister, and Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said no government has signed any agreement for open-pit coal mining at Phulbari.At one stage of the unscheduled debate on point of order, BNP lawmaker Moshiur Rahman alleged that it was the AL government that signed the agreement with Asia Energy and Hasina's son Sajib Wazed Joy ...
(read more) Monday, September 4th, 2006The bullet-hit victims of the August 26 carnage in Phulbari, Dinajpur are yet to get financial support for their treatment even though the government said on Wednesday that it would compensate the victims within 72 hours. The government on Wednesday pledged to provide a compensation of Tk 2 lakh to each of the families of those who died on August 26 and a total of Tk 9 lakh compensation for the injured. Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu had made the pledges in a public meeting at Phulbari after signing an agreement with the demonstrators in Parbatipur.Dinajpur Medical ...
(read more) Sunday, September 3rd, 2006The people of Phulbari, Dinajpur, observed a 'black day' yesterday by wearing black badges and hoisting black flags protesting the August 26 carnage. Black flags were hoisted atop shops, schools, colleges, government and private residential buildings yesterday morning.District administrative officials are yet to implement the pledges they had made on August 30 during the negotiations."They [administration] are yet to formulate the three-member investigation committee even though 72 hours have already passed since the agreement was signed," said Md Mossadeque Hossain Labu, Dinajpur district convener of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port."If they notice any ...
(read more) Sunday, September 3rd, 2006Rajshahi Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu yesterday said the opposition combine's conspiracy to create anarchy over Phulbari incident was thwarted. "The conspirators who tried to gain politically by creating anarchy have been let down," Minu, also a ruling BNP legislator, told reporters after returning from Phulbari, Dinajpur.Minu had led the government team in negotiations over the Phulbari crisis at Parbatipur and gave assurance to people in Phulbari on August 30 that Asia Energy would wrap up their business from Bangladesh and no open-pit mining would be allowed in the country.He said a vested quarter compared the low key Phulbari ...
(read more) Friday, September 1st, 2006The BNP-led alliance government is caught between a rock and a hard place over the Asia Energy deal as its cancellation implies serious international reaction and arbitration but its continuation by going against public sentiment appears impossible.Highly placed sources said the government is unconfident about this matter and is most likely to resort to a time killing strategy for the next two months and leave the entire matter to the next governments.Asia Energy officials in Dhaka yesterday evening said they have not received any communiqué from the government about cancellation of the deal.An arbitrary cancellation will first imply that ...
(read more) Friday, September 1st, 2006Phulbari people yesterday celebrated victory of their movement even though there was an air of doubt among them if the government would actually fulfil their demands which it agreed to on Wednesday night.Normalcy came to the upazila town, nearly 40km east of Dinajpur, after the government signed the memorandum with National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources and Electricity-Port.All the upazila administrative offices, markets, banks and other institutions and road and railway communications were opened yesterday morning.In spite of being happy with their victory, the leaders and locals still doubt if the government would be sincere enough to ...
(read more) Thursday, August 31st, 2006Asia Energy will wrap up from Bangladesh and no open-pit mining will be allowed in the country, the government announced after a negotiation meeting in Parbatipur upazila yesterday as they agreed to meet all the six demands of Phulbari demonstrators.The government will provide a compensation of Tk 2 lakh to each of the families of those who died on Saturday while the injured and those affected otherwise will get a block allocation of Tk 9 lakh, Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu announced at a public rally at Phulbari last night.The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources ...
(read more) Thursday, August 31st, 2006Four days of continuous strike has virtually halted the economy of Phulbari town in Dinajpur but the locals still showed enormous zeal to prevent Asia Energy from extracting coal.A good number of people expressed anxiety and helplessness for their suffering in living the normal life due to the strike. Some claimed to have been starving or living half-fed since the strike began.Thousands of protesters from three neighbouring upazilas demonstrated yesterday in Phulbari town during the countrywide hartal protesting the killing of seven people in firing by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on a procession on August 26.Phulbari and adjacent upazilas remained ...
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