Cox’s Bazar
NOVOAIR to operate six flights daily to Cox’s Bazar
NOVOAIR will operate six flights daily to Cox’s Bazar from Friday.
NOVOAIR also announced an attractive holiday package for Cox’s Bazar.
NOVOAIR will operate daily from Dhaka at 8:30 am, 9:30 am, 12 pm, 1:30 pm, 3 pm and 4:20 pm to Cox’s Bazar. Similarly, from Cox’s Bazar at 10:05 am, 11:05 am, 1:35 pm, 3:05 pm, 4:35 pm and 5:55 pm to Dhaka in compliance with the health guidelines issued by government.
Read: NOVOAIR, US-Bangla to resume Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar flights Tuesday
Passengers will enjoy Cox’s Bazar tour with NOVOAIR holiday Package, starts from TK. 1,900 per month per person on EMI, which includes Air Fare and Hotel, Transfer at Cox’s Bazar, Breakfast and Many More.
To facilitate valued passengers, NOVOAIR have partnered with 20 leading private banks and 8 luxurious hotels at Cox’s Bazar. According to the agreement, valued card members of those banks can enjoy this package with 0% interest which payable in 6 equal monthly installments.
Read NOVOAIR announces attractive ‘winter holiday package’
Currently, NOVOAIR operates daily 6 flights to Chattogram, 6 flights to Jashore, 6 flights to Saidpur, 2 flights to Sylhet, 2 flights to Barishal and 2 flights to Rajshahi.
Microbus plunge leaves 7 dead in Cox’s Bazar
Seven people including a child were killed in a road accident at Bhendibazar in Chakaria upazila on Sunday morning.
Five of the deceased were identified as Hazera Begum, 55, wife of Ismail, Purnima, 30 wife of Pradeep, Sarthak, 2, son of Pradeep, Ratan Bijoy, 55 and his wife Madhumita, 45 of the upazila while the identities of the two others could not be known immediately.
Read:2 killed in Dhaka road accidents
The accident occurred around 10:30 am when a microbus plunged into a roadside ditch in front of Green Valley Community Centre, leaving five dead on the spot and two others injured.
The injured were taken to a local hospital where doctors declared them dead.
On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to the hospital morgue.
Road Accidents in Bangladesh
At least 2,329 people, including 291 women and 381 children, were killed and 4,361 others injured in 2,159 road accidents across the country in the first half of the current year, says a report published in July.
Read: Natore road crash leaves 5 people dead
It says the road accidents took place on various highways, national, inter-district and regional roads between January 1 and June 30 across the country.
Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF), a platform of journalists, prepared the report based on news carried by 22 national dailies, 10 regional newspapers and eight online news portals and news agencies.
Villagers thrash cops, free wanted criminal from custody
A group of local residents allegedly thrashed a posse of policemen and forcibly freed a wanted criminal from the latter's custody in Habirpara village of Teknaf upazila on Wednesday.
Acting officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, Mohammad Hafizur Rahman said that the policemen had managed to nab Habibur Rahman Habib alias Magu, wanted in six criminal cases, in the village around 2 pm.
Read:Flood-affected people in Cox’s Bazar cry for food and drinking water
But as the police team was about to leave the village with the accused, his family
and a local UP member Moulvi Syedul Islam surrounded the vehicle of the cops, attacked them with iron rods and hurled brick chips, and took Habib away.
Three policemen were injured in the attack. On information, another police team rushed to the spot and took the injured cops to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex.
Read:‘Top terrorist’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’
"We are trying to arrest Habib. However, the UP member has already been arrested in this connection. We are going to book him under stringent sections," the OC said.
Poor host communities fume as Rohingyas start grabbing local labour market
An anger is growing among poor hosts as the Rohingyas, living in Bangladesh’s tourism hub of Cox’s Bazar, are increasingly joining the local labour market, leaving many locals out of their jobs and small businesses.
The host communities claimed that Rohingyas can easily come out from their camps and get engaged in work at the local labour market with their increased presence.
“You need to pay a local labourer Tk 600 a day and you can do the same job engaging a Rohingya with only Tk 200-300. Naturally, the Rohingyas get a preference when someone hires a day-labourer,” one of the locals told UNB, wishing not to be named.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char.
The UN is likely to begin its operational activities in Bhasan Char in September if the current negotiation ends with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in August.
Palangkhali UP chairman in Ukhiya upazila M Gafur Uddin Chowdhury said locals are no longer getting desired jobs as Rohingyas are preferred for lower wages. “Even, no one is stopping it… even the Rohingyas are getting involved in small businesses.”
Hamidul Haque Chowdhury who works to protect the interests of locals said the Rohingyas are even working in various NGOs.
Read: Floods, landslides hit Rohingya camps hard: UNHCR
“They also work in various shops and doing household works. I myself saw them doing all this,” he told UNB, adding that Rohingya workers and employees are outnumbering the locals.
Mohammad Shamsu Douza, Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, said they have no such information that the Rohingyas are working in various NGOs.
5 of a family killed in Cox’s Bazar landslide
Five members of a family were killed in a landslide at Villager Para in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district early Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Abdus Shukkur, 16, Mohammad Zubair, 12, Abdur Rahim, 5, Kohinur Akter, 9 and Joynaba Akter, 7—all children of Syed Alam.
Read:Landslide kills 5 at Cox's Bazar Rohingya camp
Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said a chunk of mud from a hill collapsed on the house of Syed Alam early in the morning, leaving five people dead.
The landslide occurred due to heavy downpour for the last several days.
However, the local administration is working to shift people living on the slope of hills to avoid such incident.
Read: 20,000 families living in Cox's Bazar hills amid landslide risk
Earlier on Tuesday, five Rohingyas including children were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy downpour in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
Maritime ports asked to hoist cautionary signal 3
The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist local cautionary number three as a low pressure area has been formed over the North Bay and adjoining areas.
“Under its influence, deep convection is taking place and steep pressure gradient lies over the North Bay and adjoining areas,” said a Met office bulletin.
Read: Cautionary signal 3 for Bangladesh maritime ports
Squally weather may affect the maritime ports, North Bay and adjoining coastal areas, it said.
All boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to come close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.
Balanced development: Govt creates 3 new upazilas in 3 districts
The government on Monday approved the creation of three new upazilas -- ‘Eidgaon’ in Cox’s Bazar, ‘Modhyanagar’ in Sunamganj and ‘Dashar’ in Madaripur -- raising the number of the upazilas to 495 in the country in a bid to ensure balanced development in those remote areas.
The approval came from a meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reform (NICAR), held virtually. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting, joining it from Ganobhaban, while others from the Secretariat.
“The structures of the three new upazilas will be like that of the latest upazila (492nd Upazila),” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters after the meetings of the Cabinet and NICAR.
Besides, Dakkhin Sunamganj upazila was renamed as ‘Shantiganj Upazila’, he said.
Read:Report: Bangladesh among 3 top performers in sustainable development
Brazil soccer fan in Cox’s Bazar takes poison
With the excitement running high over the Copa America final, a soccer fan took poison at North Chakmarkul in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar district on Sunday after Brazil’s loss to Argentina.
Police said the Brazil fan, Mohammad Kamal, 20, son of Amir Hossain, is now undergoing treatment in Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
Read:Hanging body of young woman recovered from Cox’s Bazar hotel
Locals said Kamal, a big fan of Brazil soccer team, was watching the Copa America Final 2021 in the morning.
As Argentina clinched the title after beating Brazil 1-0 in the final, Kamal got upset and took poison in a bid to kill himself.
Read: 2 shot dead in separate incidents in Cox’s Bazar
Dr Efazul Haque, medical officer of Ramu Upazila Health Complex, said Kamal was first taken to the upazila health complex in an unconscious state and then referred to Sadar Hospital for better treatment after clearing his stomach.
UNHCR seeks adequate medical assistance for Rohingyas affected in Bhasan Char
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Monday said the safety and wellbeing of Rohingyas are their main priority.
The UN agency noted they will continue to urgently seek additional information on the condition of those affected, and urged that they receive adequate medical assistance.
UNHCR said they are “deeply concerned” to learn of reports on Rohingyas who were injured during today’s events at Bhasan Char.
“We regret that those affected reportedly include children and women,” Louise Donovan, a spokesperson at the UNHCR, Cox’s Bazar, said in a statement.
Rohingays in Bhasan Char went unruly when two senior UN officials - Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, were visiting it.
READ: UNHCR's joint response plan to be launched Tuesday
During today’s visit, the UNHCR delegation was able to meet with a large group of refugees and listen to the various issues that they raised, which the delegation will further discuss with the Bangladesh authorities, said the UNHCR spokesperson.
The delegation now arrived in Cox’s Bazar and is scheduled to visit Rohingya camps there on Tuesday before returning to Dhaka to meet senior government officials.
The two UNHCR officials arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit to see the Rohingya situation both in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps and Bhasan Char.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char and Bangladesh is expecting UN agencies engagement in Bhasan Char within the next couple of months to provide humanitarian services there.
The government has a plan to shift 100,000 Rohingyas in Bhasan Char gradually while around 20,000 are already shifted there.
During his recent visit, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char, saying it will be another example to the world on how to deal with the refugee issues.
“I really applaud the work done there – the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues,” he said.
Bozkir hoped that this would work well for the Rohingya people, giving them a better condition in Bhashan Char.
The UNGA President said he could not visit Bhasan Char but he saw a video on it and acknowledged the high-level of works there, including precautions and safety measures.
Bozkir appreciated Bangladesh’s role in the peacekeeping operations and sacrifices of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the peace and security of the world.
READ: UNHCR calls for strong global support for Rohingyas
The UNGA President said he has admiration for Prime Minister Hasina for her political and humanitarian thinking and saluted the hospitality and courage that Bangladesh has shown to the Rohingya people.
Strict lockdown imposed in Teknaf and five Rohingya camps
Amid a huge surge in Covid-19 cases in the region, a 10-day complete lockdown has been imposed in Teknaf upazila while week-long similar restrictions have been announced in five Rohingya camps of Ukhiya-Teknaf.
"Cox’s Bazar District Corona Prevention Committee has decided to impose the lockdown from May 21 to 30 in the wake of a rise in the number of infections in the region," Md Parvez Chowdhury, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Teknaf, said on Friday.
Meanwhile, a strict lockdown has been imposed in Ukhiya camps -- 2,3,4 and 15 -- and Teknaf camp number 24 for a week from May 21, said additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner Md Shamshuddouza.
Read:Rohingya Crisis: Korea provides $4 mn to support 2021 JRP
All activities in these camps have been suspended from Friday, except emergency services like medicine and food supplies, officials said.
According to the health department in Cox’s Bazar, 823 Rohingyas have been infected with the virus to date and 12 have died.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas across 34 camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them have arrived in this country since August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority.