NEWS ON DATE - 26-04-2024
PM Hasina calls her Thai visit a milestone in bilateral relations
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said Bangladesh and Thailand have potential to strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, food security, tourism, public health, energy and ICT.
“I strongly feel that we have the opportunity to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, food security, tourism, public health, energy, ICT, people-to-people contacts and connectivity, and also under the BIMSTEC,” she said.
The premier was speaking at an official luncheon hosted by her Thai counterpart Srethha Thavisin at the latter’s office, Government House, here in Bangkok.
Earlier, the two leaders had a one on one meeting for 15 minutes before leading their respective sides to a bilateral meeting there.
Five bilateral documents – an agreement, three memorandum of understanding MoU) and a Letter of Intent (LOI) – were signed in presence of the two prime ministers.
In the luncheon, Hasina said Bangladesh attaches great importance to her relations with Thailand as an immediate neighbour.
“Our friendship is deeply rooted in historical, linguistic, and common cultural heritage. The warm and cordial relations between our two friendly countries are ever-growing in multi-faceted areas of cooperation, including trade and investment, sustainable development, people-to-people contacts, and connectivity,” she added.
The Bangladesh PM said Prime Minister Thavisin and she discussed at length the bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests.
“We agreed to make all efforts to enhance our bilateral trade and encourage more interactions between the public and private entities of the two countries. Likewise, we must make all efforts to promote and facilitate bilateral investments,” she said.
The Agreement and MoUs that Dhaka and Bangkok signed on Friday would provide a solid framework for enhancing our bilateral cooperation, she said .
She said the visit is part of broader focus on the ‘neighbourhood” policy, which has provided an excellent opportunity for the two countries to further renew the momentum in the bilateral relations.
“I am confident that this visit will go a long way in deepening the relations between our two countries,” she said.
The PM said she firmly believes this visit would provide the much-needed impetus to the bilateral relations to its full potential.
“This official visit will remain a milestone in our bilateral relations. It has ushered in a new era of fruitful partnership between our two countries. We need to sustain the renewed momentum in our relationship for the mutual benefit of our people and countries in the days ahead,” she said.
Bangabandhu's youngest daughter and Sheikh Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana and Bangbandhu’s grandson Radwan Mujib Siddiq were present at the luncheon.
Schoolboy among 2 dead in Dhaka road accidents
Two people including a school student died in separate road accidents in Dhaka’s Mugda and Gendaria areas.
The accidents occurred on Thursday night and early Friday.
The schoolboy was identified as Md Mahin Ahmed, 13, son of Masum Ahmed of Kishoreganj’s Bajitpur upazila but he used to live with his family in Mugda area.
The victim’s elder brother Mahfuz Ahmed said Mahin, a class seven student of Motijheel Government Ideal School, went out of the house to meet a friend on Thursday night.
A vehicle of Dhaka South City Corporation crashed into him while walking on the Mugda road around 9:30pm, leaving him critically injured, he said.
He was first rushed to Mugda General Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, said the DMCH’s police outpost In-Charge Md Bachhu Mia.
In another incident an unidentified vehicle hit a woman while she was crossing the road in Padma Bridge Railing Project Ghonti Ghar area under Gendaria police station around 3am.
The impact of the accident left her critically injured, said pedestrians.
Later, she was taken to DMCH’s emergency department where she was declared dead, Bachhu Mia said.
The concerned police stations were informed about the road crashes, he added.
Bangladeshi youth shot dead by Indian border guards in Lalmonirhat
A 20-year-old Bangladeshi youth was gunned down allegedly by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in bordering Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat early Friday, according to Border Guards Bangladesh.
The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam Daku, son of Apir Uddin of Dangapara area under Sreerampur union of the upazila.
According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police, a group of people including the youth went to Indian border to bring cattle around 11pm.
Sensing the presence of the suspected cattle smugglers, the BSF members fired, targeting them from the border, leaving Kalam critically injured, they said.
Later, his collaborators rushed him to Patgram Upazila Health Complex where physicians declared him dead upon arrival.
Nurul Amin, In-Charge of the BGB-61 Jhalangi Camp, said they held a commander-level meeting with the BSF in this regard in the morning.
Patgram police station’s Officer-in-Charge Abu Sayeed confirmed that matter saying that the body was sent to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Rains likely to drench Ctg and Sylhet divisions next 24 hours
Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD) forecast rain or thundershowers in Chattogram and Sylhet divisions country in 24 hours commencing 9:00 am on Friday.
“Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Chattogram and Sylhet divisions with hails at isolated places,” said a met office bulletin.
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country.
Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country. Due to the increase of moisture incursion, the discomfort may persist, it said.
However, a very severe heat wave is sweeping over the districts of Chuadanga and Jashore and severe heat wave is sweeping over rest part of the Khulna division and the districts of Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj, Manikgonj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur & Nilphamari. Mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping over Barishal division and the districts of Dhaka, Madaripur, Kishoregonj, Narsingdi, Bagura, Naogaon, Sirajgonj, Rangpur, Kurigram, Panchagarh, Mymensingh, Maulovibazar, Rangamati, Chandpur, Feni and Bandarban and it may continue, read the bulletin.
Country’s highest temperature was recorded in Jashore at 42.4 degree Celsius over the past 24 hours till 6 am today.
On the other hand, the lowest temperature was recorded in Panchagarh’s Tetulia at 20.6 degree Celsius.
Hizbut campaigns in BUET to shun western values: Campus sources
A new CCTV footage has emerged showing two youths disseminating what appeared leaflets on BUET campus containing messages of banned militant outfit Hizbut Taharir reportedly asking students to abandon all western values and join crusade against westerners, according to campus sources.
The footage came to light within weeks after a group of students held a press conference following repeated death threats online and over the phone because they became vocal over clandestine activities of these "extremist groups" focused on the campus.
These students held the press conference following an email campaign sent on behalf of Hizbut in several phases, throughout March, where they asked students to take part in the fight to run the country in light of Khilafat and described BCL as the biggest enemy.
Dated February 19, 2024, the nearly 3- minute footage shows both youths with one carrying a bag walked through a narrow alley between rows of classrooms housed in civil engineering building.
Moments later, the duo turned around, with one stayed ahead to keep a tight vigil and the other brought out leaflets from his bag and passed those beneath the classroom doors locked back then, leaving for students to read messages once they appear in classrooms.
These students also asked the respective authorities to investigate how such outfits got hold of email accounts of students.
In addition to email campaign and leaflet distribution video, several students acknowledged that in past they found posters of Hizbut plastered on walls surrounding BUET.
Several students confirmed receiving the email and presence of posters that featured a QR code with messages from Hizbut.
Facebook pages affiliated with lobbyists and lawyers hired by family of Jamaat-e-Islami backed notorious war criminals were found spreading disinformation against those vocal against student front of Jamaat: Islami Chhatra Shibir, according campus sources who wished anonymity.
Actively took part in carrying out genocide in 1971, Shibir, renamed from Chhatara Sangha and reborn in 1977, began acting with a long-term main objective to establish Islamic society countering secular spirit of the country.
Self-style killing mission and cutting tendons of students who they deem rival are reported trademark of Shibir.
The outfit ranked as the third most active no state armed group in the work according to a U.S. based defence think tank IHS Jane’s global Terrorism and Insurgency index.
Earlier, in last June, as many as 24 students of BUET, activists and leaders of shibir were caught while plotting conspiracy against state in a remote haor area.
Local Jamaat leaders back then reportedly confirmed media over allegiance of detainees with Shibir. Even a former central president of Shibir in an interview boasted of having a large network of students on BUET campus.
The active presence of Shibir and other extremists on BUET came to the fore during war crimes trial back in 2013 when two students in a span of five months were brutally attacked reportedly for their stance for war crimes trial and extremist politics.
One student Arif Raihan Dip, hacked on the dormitory by a fellow student who ascribed that vicious ideologue in broad daylight, died of his wounds and another Tonmoy Ahmed, left to die after stabbed brutally by Shibir activists but survived the battle for life, now living with scars of horrific machete attack.
However, on social media an orchestrated attempt was underway to undermine the gravity of the crime by raising some unnecessary questions like why channels that on air the entire video did not add voice over.
A reality check reveals all the six channels that posted the video clearly attributed to the simple fact: cctv footage captures moments of distribution of leaflets in a covert manner.
A senior journalist who worked with a foreign outlet said “attempt to raise question over why so many channels telecast the same footage by multiple channels clearly runs out of fact and a deliberate act that can only help the cause of these extremist groups and the building is located on BUET. Running the same cctv footage is not problematic”.
On a recent post, Tonmoy pointed out “discussion on the activities of these outfits on BUET campus long remained a taboo coupled with a denial mood from respective segments added as advantage to these outfits.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (media and public relations) Faruk Hossain told media “ it is important to get full cooperation from students and teachers over activities of such extremist groups on the campus to ensure no student fall prey to these vicious group’s brainwashing. Unless there is cooperation from all quarters, it is difficult to check such activities”.
Bodies of teenage couple recovered from Gazipur flat
The bodies of a teenage couple were recovered from their rented flat in a high-rise building in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur on Friday, said police.
The deceased were identified as Md Israfil, 17, son of Mafizul Huq of Sherpur’s Jhenaigati upazila and his wife Rokeya Khatun, 15, daughter of Abul Kashem of Iswarganj upazila in Mymensingh.
Rokeya’s elder brother Md Borhand Uddin said his sister got married with Israfil around seven to eight months back without family's consent after developing an affair.
After the marriage, they started to live in a rented flat in Mawna Mulaid area of the upazila. Israfil was a workshop worker while Rokey worked for a readymade garment factory, he said.
Israfil went away from his residence recently following a dispute with his parents, who live in a separate flat of the same building, Borhan said.
Mafizul said they spotted the body of Israfil hanging from a ceiling fan with a scarf while Rokeya’s body was on the bed.
Sreepur police station’s Inspector (investigation) Md Shakhwat Hossain said being informed they recovered the bodies from the house.
The wife seems to have first committed suicide and the husband followed , he said, adding that legal actions would be taken in this regard.
Explore possibility of investing in our hospitals, and facilities: PM Hasina urges Thailand
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday asked Thailand to explore the possibility of investing in hospitals and medical facilities in Bangladesh.
She also sought Thai investments in special economic zones and hi-tech parks of Bangladesh.
“We discussed the possibility of cooperation on training and capacity building for Bangladeshi medical personnel. I also proposed to him to explore the possibility of investing in hospitals and medical facilities in Bangladesh,” she said.
The Bangladesh premier said this at a joint press conference after a bilateral meeting with her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin at Government House (Thai Prime Minister’s Office) here in Bangkok.
Five bilateral documents – an agreement, three memorandums of understanding MoUs) and a Letter of Intent (LOI) – were signed in presence of the two prime ministers following the meeting.
She said Bangladesh attaches great importance to her relations with Thailand as an immediate neighbour. “Our friendship is deeply rooted in our historical, linguistic, and common cultural heritage. The warm and cordial relations between our two countries are ever-growing in multi-faceted areas of cooperation,” she said.
The two leaders discussed in detail the bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. “We see Thailand as a very important and dynamic partner in our engagement with the vibrant economies of Southeast Asia,” said the Bangladesh PM.
On trade cooperation, they discussed at length measures to enhance the current volume of the bilateral trade and agreed to work together to achieve healthy two-way growth.
“I assured the Prime Minister (Thavisin) to take the necessary measures for investment facilitation and ease of doing business in Bangladesh. I proposed to the Thai side to invest in our special economic zones and hi-tech parks and to take one SEZ, exclusively for Thailand,” said Hasina.
Noting that the two sides agreed to commence negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the year 2024, she said the concerned Ministers of Commerce of the two countries have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the issue.
To facilitate smooth contact between Thai and Bangladeshi officials, Dhaka and Bangkok signed the Agreement on Visa Exemption for Holders of Official Passports, she said adding that the two countries already have an agreement for diplomatic passport holders.
“For Bangladesh, Thailand is a potential partner to engage in energy cooperation. To explore the potential of energy cooperation, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Energy Cooperation was the second instrument signed,” she said.
A third Memorandum of Understanding has been signed on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
“To benefit from Thai knowledge, experiences, and best tourism practices, we signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of tourism,” said the premier.
To ensure food security for our people, the two sides explored the possibility of collaboration in the agriculture and food processing sectors, she stated.
Regarding maritime connectivity, she said the two sides discussed the direct shipping line between Ranong Port and Chattogram Port. Bangladesh is following with great interest Thailand’s flagship ‘Landbridge project.'
“I proposed to the Thai side to enhance cooperation among specialized universities between the two countries, especially in agriculture, fisheries, and food processing,” said Hasina.
The two prime ministers also discussed regional cooperation mechanisms under the BIMSTEC framework. Thailand, as the current chair and host of the Summit to be held later this year, will hand over the chairmanship to Bangladesh.
“We firmly believe that BIMSTEC is a key driver of regional economic growth for a total population of 1.8 billion. To achieve a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh sought the support of Thailand,” she said.
She reiterated the importance of high-level visits between the two countries.
Hasina also invited Prime Minister Thavisin to undertake a return visit to Bangladesh.
Earlier on her arrival at Government House, Sheikh Hasina was received by Thavisin and then she was accorded a warm welcome at the front lawn of Thai Kooh Fah Building.
The Bangladesh PM arrived here on Wednesday on a six-day official visit to Thailand at the invitation of her Thai counterpart.
Wild elephants kill farmer in Sherpur
A 50-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur district on Thursday night, an official said.
The deceased was identified as Omar Ali Mistri, son of Tamij Uddin of bordering Batkuchi village under the upazila.
The farmer came under attack by the wild elephants coming from a nearby jungle while he was guarding off the Boro paddy at night, leaving him killed on the spot, said Rafiqul Islam, Madhutila Range officer of the Forest Department on Friday.
Locals recovered the body after the elephants left the spot, he added.
Forest officials and local public representatives rushed to the spot after hearing about the attack.
According to locals, they frequently come under attacks by wild elephants especially at night when they guard their croplands in Nalitabari and Jhenaigati upazilas of Sherpur.
Cuet students’ road safety movement postponed, to resume classes
The ongoing road safety movement by Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) students has been postponed following a bilateral meeting between the university administration and the students on Thursday night.
The vehicular movement on busy Chattogram-Rangamati’s Kaptai Road resumed around 11:30pm after the protesting students left it.
Moreover, the students decided to return to their academic activities deferring their movement.
In a statement signed by the university’s Registrar (additional duty) Prof Dr Sheikh Mohammad Humayun Kabir on Thursday night said that a decision will be made in the syndicate meeting to be held on Friday to reconsider the closure of academic activities.
However, the students will be allowed to stay in the dormitories till then, it read.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, the Cuet was declared closed for an indefinite period as students burst into protests demanding road safety after the deaths of two fellows in a fatal road accident on April 22.
Besides, the male students were asked to vacate dormitories by 5pm on Thursday and the female students by 9am on Friday.
Two Cuet students—Shanto Saha, a 3rd year student and Tawfiq Hasan, a 2nd year student of Civil engineering department, died when a bus of ‘Shah Amanat’ paribahan hit a motorbike on Chattogram-Kaptai road at Zianagar in Rangunia upazila on Monday.
As soon as the news spread, some Cuet students vandalised three buses and set one more on fire on that day.
The students took to the streets boycotting classes and examinations and continued their protests till Wednesday blocking the Chattogram-Kaptai road by setting fire on logs and tyres to press home their 9 point demand for safe road.
They demanded arrest of the bus driver and his assistant and their exemplary punishment.
The other demands include providing compensation to the deceased and bearing the medical expenses of the student injured in the accident, establishment of modern treatment centre with all facilities on the campus, proving ambulances with modern equipment, stopping movement of all local buses including Shah Amanat and AB Travels on the road, examining liscences of the buses and CNG-run auto-rickshaws that ply the road , making the Student Welfare Council under accountable and forming students representative group.
Bus driver Md Tazul Islam was arrested from the Kotwali area of Chattogram city on Wednesday afternoon.
PM Hasina opens bilateral meeting with Thai premier Thavisin
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday morning arrived at Government House (the Thailand Prime Minister’s Office) to join a bilateral meeting with her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin.
The two sides would discuss the bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, according to Bangladesh officials.
After the talks a number of bilateral documents would be signed in presence of the two prime ministers aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in some areas.
The two leaders will also have a four-eyes meeting (Tete-a-Tete) for some 15 minutes there.
On her arrival at the Government House at 10:30am, Sheikh Hasina was received by the Thai premier.
She was accorded a warm welcome at the front lawn of Thai Kooh Fah Building there.
The Bangladesh prime minister inspected the guard of honour given by a smartly turned out contingent of the Thai armed forces.
Srettha Thavisin introduced his cabinet members with Sheikh Hasina before she signed the guest book of the Government House.
Hasina also would join an official luncheon there before leaving the Government House.
The Bangladesh PM arrived here on Wednesday on a six-day official visit to Thailand at the invitation of her Thai counterpart.