As Bangladesh jubilantly celebrated the unveiling of another mega project, the much-awaited mass rapid transit ‘Dhaka Metro Rail’, it also solemnly recalled the seven Japanese engineers and consultants who died in the gruesome Holey Artisan Bakery attack in July 2016. With the launch of a section of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 on December 28, 2022, Bangladesh embarked on a new era of public transport with electricity-powered metro rail that will change the way people travel in one of the most congested cities in the world. A plaque at a newly inaugurated metro rail station honours the seven Japanese engineers and consultants, who were in Bangladesh to set in motion the construction of the Dhaka Metro Rail, and were among those taken hostage and brutally murdered by armed militants on that fateful night of July 1, 2016. Also read: Metro rail to start 30 mins later, add Pallabi station from Jan 25 The terror attack by jihadis of the Neo-JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh) raised severe doubts on Bangladesh’s growth trajectory, with security of foreign nationals coming here to supervise overseas-funded infrastructure projects like the Dhaka Metro Rail emerging as a key issue. The Bangladesh Government, led by PM Sheikh Hasina, bravely kept its focus on development despite the violence unleashed by jihadi radicals, often backed by the country’s Islamists. Of the foreigners killed in the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery, two women and five men were Japanese nationals. Only one of the eight Japanese experts in Dhaka for the metro rail project made it out of the Holey Artisan Bakery alive. Read More: Dhaka Metro Rail Uttara to Agargaon Route: A Detail Overview Tomaoki Watanabe, who was hospitalized after being shot, was one of four employees from Almec, a transportation consultancy firm with offices in Manila, Hanoi, Jakarta and Ulan Bator, according to its website. The other three – Yuko Sakai, Rui Shimodaira and Makoto Okamura – were killed. Okamura’s father, Komakichi Okamura, told Japanese media that his 32-year-old son’s death was “unbearable as a parent”. Another victim, Koyo Ogasawara, worked for Katahira & Engineers International that has worked on projects in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Read More: Foreign envoys remember those killed in Holey Artisan attack The other three were working for Oriental Consultants Global. They were identified as Hideki Hashimoto, Nobuhiro Kurosaki and Hiroshi Tanaka. Japan’s then PM Shinzo Abe, who later died in an attack in Japan, expressed “profound grief and anger” over the deaths of the Japanese nationals in the Holey Artisan attack. “We feel very indignant toward the perpetrators, because these people were working hard for the development of Bangladesh,” said Shinichi Kitaoka, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Kitaoka called for strong security for all Japanese nationals involved with the metro rail and development projects funded by the JICA. While terrorists carried out the heinous attack, the opposition rushed to manufacture a scare tactic – that the government had failed to check terrorism and Bangladesh was unsafe for foreigners. The opposition had itself launched violent street protests after boycotting the 2014 parliamentary polls. Read More: Govt satisfied with Holey Artisan attack verdict: Law Minister When the government resorted to some tough policing and hit back hard at the terrorists, neutralising nearly the entire top leadership of the Neo-JMB, including its Canada-based chief Tamim Ahmed, the same opposition started blaming the government for “blatant violation of human rights”. Taking on the colossal challenge of completing the Padma Bridge (despite the World Bank pull-out on corruption charges that could not be proven) and the Dhaka Metro Rail project (despite the terror attack) is thus part of a bigger story for the Sheikh Hasina government. The government stayed on the development course with single-minded focus amidst numerous challenges. Read More: FM thanks Japan for support in metro rail, other development projects Sources in the Japanese government have said that it was Bangladesh’s prompt counter-terrorism response that gave its funding agencies the confidence to carry on the metro rail and other projects in Bangladesh. At the opening of the Dhaka Metro Rail, PM Sheikh Hasina recalled the tumultuous times in her speech and paid tribute to the Japanese consultants who lost their lives in the Holey Artisan attack. “Though that attack put the work on hold for a while, finally it started again,” Hasina said, recalling the contribution of then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. These accomplishments have a much bigger message for the world: come what may, come hell or high water, Bangladesh is unstoppable. Read More: Metro rail to start 30 mins later, add Pallabi station from Jan 25

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this morning (September 6, 2022) paid tribute to India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Sheikh Hasina paid homage by placing a wreath at the altar of the Samadhi (memorial) of Mahatma Gandhi, the preeminent leader of the Indian independence and civil right movements, in Delhi’s Rajghat. She stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. Also read: PM Hasina accorded warm reception by Modi at Delhi’s Rashtrapati Bhavan Sheikh Hasina then signed the visitors’ book there. Rajghat is a memorial on the bank of the Yamuna River, dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation. The prime minister is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House later today. Also read: PM takes in sights and sounds of Old Delhi's Nizamuddin on day 1 Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a four-day official visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that despite the Covid-19 fallout and the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh economy continues to be in robust shape and that her government is exercising due diligence when taking any loan. In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Prime Minister Hasina ruled out concerns that Bangladesh could go the Sri Lanka way. She said that currently the world as a whole was facing challenges, not just Bangladesh. Read:“Not only Bangladesh, in India minorities suffered too at times” “Our economy is still going strong… We faced the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the Russia-Ukraine war. That has its effects here. But Bangladesh always makes debt payments timely. So, our debt rate is low. Our economic trajectory and development are (planned) calculatedly,” said the prime minister. Hasina, however, acknowledged that the war in Ukraine has posed some challenges for Bangladesh. “It has negative effects, no doubt, especially in terms of import,” she said. Hasina asserted that because of measured approach, Bangladesh was secure on the economic front. Bangladesh did not take any loan unless it was sure that it would benefit from the project undertaken, she said. Read:“Differences can be resolved through dialogue, Bangladesh-India do precisely that” “I think the whole world is facing economic problems, we are too… But yes, there are people who raise this issue. ‘Oh, Bangladesh will be Sri Lanka!’ This and that. But I can assure you, no, that will not happen. Because we... all our development plans, what we prepare and we implement, we always consider what the returns would be… how people would be benefitted… Otherwise, we don’t initiate any project just to spend money,” she said. “… The moment Covid-19 pandemic started, I called upon our people, and we provided all kinds of support and inputs, up to the village level, and also encouraged our people to grow more food items. I always supported them,” PM Hasina said during interview with ANI. Read Teesta mainly depends on India: PM Hasina tells ANI

Bangladesh and India on Wednesday decided to work together to enhance food production to face the possible food crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Wednesday assured that his country will not cancel any garment product order from Bangladesh.