Brishti was 16 when she got married to the man she had an affair with. They both worked at a garment factory in Dhaka. Two years later her husband left her. By then she had already conceived. At 19 she&#39;s a single mother to a daughter. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;I was married at 16, I conceived at 18 and my husband left me at 19. When my husband was there I had no trouble. After my husband left, I have been living with my daughter with a lot of difficulties and I cannot work,&rdquo; Brishti shares with WION.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FHm4-IG6KeM" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

Bangladesh has legislated a Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 on February 27 that can make Brishti&rsquo;s condition common for many girl children.

The Child Marriage Restraint Act, which dates back to 1929, stipulates the legal marriageable age for girls as 18 years. A draft of this law in 2014 initially proposed to make legal marriage age for girls at 16 under special circumstances.

Two years later, a revision in the law has stipulated the minimum age for marriage as 18 for females and 21 for males but with a provision that marriage below those ages can be legalised with the consent of the legitimate guardian and the court. 
&nbsp; 
The government says it has made the changes keeping &ldquo;reality&rdquo; in mind and circumstances when abortion for young girls is not an option. 
&nbsp; 
The women and children affairs minister Meher Afroz Chumki told WION that all ambiguity will become clear after rules for the provision are laid out. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;They think we are excusing everyone through this provision but really it is not so. We have brought this up after observing the social circumstances,&rdquo; she said. 
&nbsp; 
Legal experts fear that without much transparency about the kind of special circumstances that are being considered, this exception can be exploited. 
&nbsp; 
Asked about conditions for such special circumstances, Chumki said, &ldquo;We will make exceptions for people with special needs. In many cases, they are without guardians and have other difficulties. Under those circumstances, if they are married, it helps the family. In disaster-prone areas, women&#39;s security remains extremely vulnerable. We cannot resolve everything at this time, which is why we will make some exceptions but we will do them by discussing.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
Legal experts say the purpose of such a provision is still incomprehensible. None of the marriage laws, whether religious or civil, invalidate a marriage irrespective of whether they are legal or illegal, said Sara Hossain, a prominent Supreme Court lawyer. 
&nbsp; 
Understandably, the legitimacy of the marriage will prevent jail terms for those involved in pursuing it including the groom. However, the law is feared to give sex offenders a leeway where families of the victims of sexual violence consider marrying off their daughter to the offender as a way of escaping the social stigma. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;You could conceive of a situation where parents or guardians try to get their daughter married off to a person even though he has committed rape or sexual assault on her in order to reduce what they see is the social stigma and they could then try and use this exception perhaps,&rdquo; said Hossain. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh is applauded for reducing child mortality, increasing primary school enrolment and empowering women through awareness, education and legal protection. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;The exception might go against a lot of the high-level commitment we have seen in Bangladesh in trying to end violence against women, particularly sexual violence. It may end up being a weapon, which is used by those who will further such forms of violence or cover-up such forms of violence,&rdquo; Hossain, who is also the honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, told WION. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh is reported to have one of the highest prevalence of child marriage. A report by the UNICEF titled &ldquo;The State of the World&rsquo;s Children 2015: Executive Summary&rdquo; states 65 per cent of girls in Bangladesh were married by 18 and 29 percent were married by 15. 
Chumki said her government has made provisions to penalise offenders of child marriage with imprisonment for two years and fine for $625 not to encourage child marriage. The new provision, however, creates much ambiguity. 
&nbsp; 
Although many girls suffer the plight of Brishti in Bangladesh in the absence of adequate child protection mechanisms, this new provision may become an instrument to protect sex offenders and put child marriage in the country under the carpet.

(WION)

A new provision says girls under 18 can get married under 'special circumstances'

Brishti was 16 when she got married to the man she had an affair with. They both worked at a garment factory in Dhaka. Two years later her husband left her. By then she had already conceived. At 19 she's a single mother to a daughter. “I was married at 16, I conceived at 18 and my husband left me at 19. When my husband was there I had no trouble. After my husband left, I have been living with my daughter with a lot of difficulties and I cannot work,” Brishti shares with WION. Bangladesh has legislated a Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 on February 27 that can make Brishti’s condition common for many girl children. The Child Marriage Restraint Act, which dates back to 1929, stipulates the legal marriageable age for girls as 18 years. A draft of this law in 2014 initially proposed to make legal marriage age for girls at 16 under special circumstances. Two years later, a revision in the law has stipulated the minimum age for marriage as 18 for females and 21 for males but with a provision that marriage below those ages can be legalised with the consent of the legitimate guardian and the court. The government says it has made the changes keeping “reality” in mind and circumstances when abortion for young girls is not an option. The women and children affairs minister Meher Afroz Chumki told WION that all ambiguity will become clear after rules for the provision are laid out. "They think we are excusing everyone through this provision but really it is not so. We have brought this up after observing the social circumstances,” she said. Legal experts fear that without much transparency about the kind of special circumstances that are being considered, this exception can be exploited. Asked about conditions for such special circumstances, Chumki said, “We will make exceptions for people with special needs. In many cases, they are without guardians and have other difficulties. Under those circumstances, if they are married, it helps the family. In disaster-prone areas, women's security remains extremely vulnerable. We cannot resolve everything at this time, which is why we will make some exceptions but we will do them by discussing.” Legal experts say the purpose of such a provision is still incomprehensible. None of the marriage laws, whether religious or civil, invalidate a marriage irrespective of whether they are legal or illegal, said Sara Hossain, a prominent Supreme Court lawyer. Understandably, the legitimacy of the marriage will prevent jail terms for those involved in pursuing it including the groom. However, the law is feared to give sex offenders a leeway where families of the victims of sexual violence consider marrying off their daughter to the offender as a way of escaping the social stigma. “You could conceive of a situation where parents or guardians try to get their daughter married off to a person even though he has committed rape or sexual assault on her in order to reduce what they see is the social stigma and they could then try and use this exception perhaps,” said Hossain. Bangladesh is applauded for reducing child mortality, increasing primary school enrolment and empowering women through awareness, education and legal protection. "The exception might go against a lot of the high-level commitment we have seen in Bangladesh in trying to end violence against women, particularly sexual violence. It may end up being a weapon, which is used by those who will further such forms of violence or cover-up such forms of violence,” Hossain, who is also the honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, told WION. Bangladesh is reported to have one of the highest prevalence of child marriage. A report by the UNICEF titled “The State of the World’s Children 2015: Executive Summary” states 65 per cent of girls in Bangladesh were married by 18 and 29 percent were married by 15. Chumki said her government has made provisions to penalise offenders of child marriage with imprisonment for two years and fine for $625 not to encourage child marriage. The new provision, however, creates much ambiguity. Although many girls suffer the plight of Brishti in Bangladesh in the absence of adequate child protection mechanisms, this new provision may become an instrument to protect sex offenders and put child marriage in the country under the carpet. (WION)

Bangladesh adds loophole to law against underage marriage

China&#39;s state-run Zhenhua Oil has signed a preliminary deal with Chevron to buy the US oil major&#39;s natural gas fields in Bangladesh that are worth about $2 billion, two Beijing-based Chinese oil executives told Reuters. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We can confirm that Chevron has been in commercial discussions about our interests in Bangladesh,&rdquo; Cameron Van Ast, spokesperson of Chevron told WION. Ast refused to comment on the negotiations currently underway. 
&nbsp; 
Chevron had rolled out plans in October 2015 to sell off assets worth $10 billion by 2017 including its geothermal projects in Indonesia and gas fields in Bangladesh. The sellout takes place amid a prolonged slump in prices of energy. 
&nbsp; 
In Bangladesh, Chevron has been operating three gas fields in Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar, which produce more than half of Bangladesh&rsquo;s total gas output. 
&nbsp; 
Zhenhua is a subsidiary of China&#39;s defence industry conglomerate NORINCO. A completed deal would mark China&#39;s first major energy investment in the South Asian country, where Beijing is competing with New Delhi and Tokyo for influence. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh, though, holds the right of first refusal on the assets and could block the transaction. The country, via its national oil company Petrobangla, is keen to buy the gas fields and is talking to international banks to raise financing, according to a banking source familiar with the process. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh is in the process of hiring global energy consultant Wood Mackenzie to assess the fields&rsquo; reserves before placing a formal bid to buy the assets, two Bangladesh sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. 
&nbsp; 
The Bangladesh sources said they were not aware of Zhenhua Oil&rsquo;s competing interest in the Chevron fields. 
&nbsp; 
While Chevron has been operating on gas fields onshore, Bangladesh in 2014 acquired 118,813 square kilometres of sea area at the Bay of Bengal comprising of 23 offshore blocks.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The deal would mark China's first major energy investment in Bangladesh

China's state-run Zhenhua Oil has signed a preliminary deal with Chevron to buy the US oil major's natural gas fields in Bangladesh that are worth about $2 billion, two Beijing-based Chinese oil executives told Reuters. “We can confirm that Chevron has been in commercial discussions about our interests in Bangladesh,” Cameron Van Ast, spokesperson of Chevron told WION. Ast refused to comment on the negotiations currently underway. Chevron had rolled out plans in October 2015 to sell off assets worth $10 billion by 2017 including its geothermal projects in Indonesia and gas fields in Bangladesh. The sellout takes place amid a prolonged slump in prices of energy. In Bangladesh, Chevron has been operating three gas fields in Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar, which produce more than half of Bangladesh’s total gas output. Zhenhua is a subsidiary of China's defence industry conglomerate NORINCO. A completed deal would mark China's first major energy investment in the South Asian country, where Beijing is competing with New Delhi and Tokyo for influence. Bangladesh, though, holds the right of first refusal on the assets and could block the transaction. The country, via its national oil company Petrobangla, is keen to buy the gas fields and is talking to international banks to raise financing, according to a banking source familiar with the process. Bangladesh is in the process of hiring global energy consultant Wood Mackenzie to assess the fields’ reserves before placing a formal bid to buy the assets, two Bangladesh sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Bangladesh sources said they were not aware of Zhenhua Oil’s competing interest in the Chevron fields. While Chevron has been operating on gas fields onshore, Bangladesh in 2014 acquired 118,813 square kilometres of sea area at the Bay of Bengal comprising of 23 offshore blocks. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Chinese firm buys Chevron's gas fields in Bangladesh

Employees of Chevron Bangladesh say that four months since the US firm disclosed about its sellout plans, it has not made any commitment to the employees about how the transition would take place. 
&nbsp; 
China&rsquo;s state-run Zhenhua Oil has signed a preliminary deal with Chevron to buy its stakes in Bangladesh consisting of three gas fields worth about $2 billion, reported Reuters. Chevron confirmed to WION about having commercial discussions without going into the details of the negotiations. 
&nbsp; 
The Chevron Bangladesh Employees Union in a recent statement said that the company&rsquo;s 571 national employees are being kept in the dark as they face &ldquo;uncertainty about their life and career&rdquo;. 
&nbsp; 
Union&rsquo;s general secretary SM Shahriar Abedin told WION that the employees demand full payment of gratuity and five per cent workers participation fund as per the labour law and a compensation for the company&rsquo;s abrupt departure. The company has been communicated about these demands on behalf of the union. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Management has not been able to ensure us in any of the issues. We have been sitting with them for last four months but they have not been able to tell us about the buyer or how the next company will adopt us,&rdquo; Abedin told WION. 
&nbsp; 
The concerns came a day after Zhenhua&rsquo;s purchase of the US firm&rsquo;s stakes in Bangladesh was reported. 
&nbsp; 
Zhenhua is a subsidiary of China&#39;s defence industry conglomerate NORINCO. A completed deal would mark China&#39;s first major energy investment in the South Asian country, where Beijing is competing with New Delhi and Tokyo for influence. 
&nbsp; 
In Bangladesh, Chevron has been operating three gas fields in Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar, which produce more than half of Bangladesh&rsquo;s total gas output. 
&nbsp; 
Chevron however, has not provided a conclusive statement on the future of their employees in Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We are committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with our employees, who form an integral part of the value of Chevron Bangladesh through their focus on a safe work culture and their commitment to delivering reliable supplies of natural gas to power the Bangladesh economy,&rdquo; Cameron Van Ast, spokesperson for Chevron told WION.

(WION)

The US firm has not provided any assurance to the future of 571 members of its Bangladesh workforce, as it signs deals with a Chinese firm

Employees of Chevron Bangladesh say that four months since the US firm disclosed about its sellout plans, it has not made any commitment to the employees about how the transition would take place. China’s state-run Zhenhua Oil has signed a preliminary deal with Chevron to buy its stakes in Bangladesh consisting of three gas fields worth about $2 billion, reported Reuters. Chevron confirmed to WION about having commercial discussions without going into the details of the negotiations. The Chevron Bangladesh Employees Union in a recent statement said that the company’s 571 national employees are being kept in the dark as they face “uncertainty about their life and career”. Union’s general secretary SM Shahriar Abedin told WION that the employees demand full payment of gratuity and five per cent workers participation fund as per the labour law and a compensation for the company’s abrupt departure. The company has been communicated about these demands on behalf of the union. “Management has not been able to ensure us in any of the issues. We have been sitting with them for last four months but they have not been able to tell us about the buyer or how the next company will adopt us,” Abedin told WION. The concerns came a day after Zhenhua’s purchase of the US firm’s stakes in Bangladesh was reported. Zhenhua is a subsidiary of China's defence industry conglomerate NORINCO. A completed deal would mark China's first major energy investment in the South Asian country, where Beijing is competing with New Delhi and Tokyo for influence. In Bangladesh, Chevron has been operating three gas fields in Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar, which produce more than half of Bangladesh’s total gas output. Chevron however, has not provided a conclusive statement on the future of their employees in Bangladesh. “We are committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with our employees, who form an integral part of the value of Chevron Bangladesh through their focus on a safe work culture and their commitment to delivering reliable supplies of natural gas to power the Bangladesh economy,” Cameron Van Ast, spokesperson for Chevron told WION. (WION)

Chevron?s transition plans worry employees in Bangladesh

Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due in Dhaka tomorrow to convey a letter of invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to meet her Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. 
&nbsp; 
Jaishankar would meet with Bangladesh foreign secretary Shahidul Haque to finalise the date and firm up the agendas to be discussed during her visit, which is expected in April. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh should be expecting an affirmation of commitment towards investments and lines of credit mostly in areas of infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, waterways and energy, Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, chairman of Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies told WION. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Around $11 billion of investments from India in the power, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and port sectors in Bangladesh are in the pipeline. India has also been offered sites by Bangladesh for setting up Special Economic Zones exclusively for Indian companies to invest,&rdquo; said Harsha Vardhan Shringla, the High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh in a statement last week. 
&nbsp; 
At $6.14 billion for financial year 2015-16, Bangladesh is India&rsquo;s largest trade partner in South Asia. 
&nbsp; 
The water sharing of Teesta, which has a downstream towards Bangladesh restrained during the period of irrigation, will not likely find a resolution even this time due to bureaucracy and strains between India&#39;s central and provincial government. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We are in a way stuck on India&rsquo;s centre-provincial relations. It&rsquo;s not easy to get out of that,&rdquo; said Ahmad. 
&nbsp; 
There will likely be reaffirmation on security cooperation between the two countries that already shares &ldquo;extremely friendly cooperation on security matters and on issues of reducing threats of extremism, separatism and insurgency,&rdquo; he said. 
&nbsp; 
Ahmad expressed concerns over the non-traditional security issues across the frontiers between India and Bangladesh that stretch over 4,000 kilometres. The trafficking of contraband, cattle and even human is causing serious implications through killing of unarmed Bangladeshi people by the Indian border security. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;There is a marked reduction in it but it has not stopped completely and therefore we would like to see more progress on this,&rdquo; Ahmad shared with WION.

(WION)

At more than $6 billion for the financial year 2015-16, Bangladesh is India?s largest trade partner in South Asia

Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due in Dhaka tomorrow to convey a letter of invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to meet her Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Jaishankar would meet with Bangladesh foreign secretary Shahidul Haque to finalise the date and firm up the agendas to be discussed during her visit, which is expected in April. Bangladesh should be expecting an affirmation of commitment towards investments and lines of credit mostly in areas of infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, waterways and energy, Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, chairman of Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies told WION. “Around $11 billion of investments from India in the power, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and port sectors in Bangladesh are in the pipeline. India has also been offered sites by Bangladesh for setting up Special Economic Zones exclusively for Indian companies to invest,” said Harsha Vardhan Shringla, the High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh in a statement last week. At $6.14 billion for financial year 2015-16, Bangladesh is India’s largest trade partner in South Asia. The water sharing of Teesta, which has a downstream towards Bangladesh restrained during the period of irrigation, will not likely find a resolution even this time due to bureaucracy and strains between India's central and provincial government. “We are in a way stuck on India’s centre-provincial relations. It’s not easy to get out of that,” said Ahmad. There will likely be reaffirmation on security cooperation between the two countries that already shares “extremely friendly cooperation on security matters and on issues of reducing threats of extremism, separatism and insurgency,” he said. Ahmad expressed concerns over the non-traditional security issues across the frontiers between India and Bangladesh that stretch over 4,000 kilometres. The trafficking of contraband, cattle and even human is causing serious implications through killing of unarmed Bangladeshi people by the Indian border security. “There is a marked reduction in it but it has not stopped completely and therefore we would like to see more progress on this,” Ahmad shared with WION. (WION)

India set to invest $11bn in Bangladesh power and port sectors

The Muslim Rohingya minority has urged Bangladesh to coerce neighbouring Myanmar to allow them to return to their ancestral land through international pressure.

Scores of thousands of Rohingyas are fleeing Myanmar for Bangladesh following a bloody army crackdown, especially in the riven western state of Rakhine --&nbsp;an action that has drawn widespread rebuke from the international community.

Around 70,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh since &quot;clearing operations&quot; began four months back, sparking a grievous refugee crisis in the Southasian nation.

Since then, Bangladesh has resurrected plans to relocate the thousands of refugess to a remote island called Thengar Char in the Bay of Bengal. But Dhaka&#39;s plan to shift them there has faced stiff controversy as critics say the island is inhabitable and prone to flooding.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bzxBOjkVwsw" width="560"></iframe>

President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation, Tun Khin, told WION Dhaka&#39;s plan to relocate the Rohingya Muslims&nbsp;would &quot;not solve the problem&quot;.

Instead, he felt that the problem would not be alleviated &quot;until the Burmese government do not stop these human rights abuses and restore their right to their native land&quot;.

Rohingya Muslims have lived in Myanmar for centuries but have faced persecution from the Burmese authorities.

There are 1.1 million Rohingya residing in Myanmar, many of whom who have stayed in the country for generations but they are still viewed by many Burmese as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.&nbsp;

Malaysian aid ship reaches Bangladesh

A Malaysian ship carrying aid for thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled a bloody army crackdown in Myanmar docked in Bangladesh Tuesday, days after it met with protests in Yangon.

Senior Bangladeshi officials and Malaysian diplomats gathered at Chittagong port as Nautical Aliya docked in the southern city, from where its aid cargo will be transported to Rohingya camps.

The shipment was received by local officials of the Red Crescent and International Organisation of Migration at the port&rsquo;s container terminal in a brief handover ceremony.

Trucks will carry the 1,472 tonnes of food, clothing and medical items to Cox&#39;s Bazar, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Chittagong for distribution to tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Burmese Rohingya Organisation said Myanmar homecoming and not Bangladesh's refugees' relocation plan would solve the problem

The Muslim Rohingya minority has urged Bangladesh to coerce neighbouring Myanmar to allow them to return to their ancestral land through international pressure. Scores of thousands of Rohingyas are fleeing Myanmar for Bangladesh following a bloody army crackdown, especially in the riven western state of Rakhine -- an action that has drawn widespread rebuke from the international community. Around 70,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh since "clearing operations" began four months back, sparking a grievous refugee crisis in the Southasian nation. Since then, Bangladesh has resurrected plans to relocate the thousands of refugess to a remote island called Thengar Char in the Bay of Bengal. But Dhaka's plan to shift them there has faced stiff controversy as critics say the island is inhabitable and prone to flooding. President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation, Tun Khin, told WION Dhaka's plan to relocate the Rohingya Muslims would "not solve the problem". Instead, he felt that the problem would not be alleviated "until the Burmese government do not stop these human rights abuses and restore their right to their native land". Rohingya Muslims have lived in Myanmar for centuries but have faced persecution from the Burmese authorities. There are 1.1 million Rohingya residing in Myanmar, many of whom who have stayed in the country for generations but they are still viewed by many Burmese as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Malaysian aid ship reaches Bangladesh A Malaysian ship carrying aid for thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled a bloody army crackdown in Myanmar docked in Bangladesh Tuesday, days after it met with protests in Yangon. Senior Bangladeshi officials and Malaysian diplomats gathered at Chittagong port as Nautical Aliya docked in the southern city, from where its aid cargo will be transported to Rohingya camps. The shipment was received by local officials of the Red Crescent and International Organisation of Migration at the port’s container terminal in a brief handover ceremony. Trucks will carry the 1,472 tonnes of food, clothing and medical items to Cox's Bazar, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Chittagong for distribution to tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Rohingya group urges Bangladesh to pressure Myanmar on return to ancestral land

Right-wing conservative party&nbsp;Hefazat-e-Islam has warned of waging demonstrations&nbsp;on February 24 in Dhaka and Chittagong unless the Bangladesh&nbsp;government removes a sculpture that resembles a Greek goddess from the precincts of the supreme court.&nbsp;

Hefazat-e-Islam and other Islamist political parties such as Islami Oikya Jote said the sculpture of Lady Justice&nbsp;carrying the scale in front of the supreme court&nbsp;resembles&nbsp;the Greek deity Themis and contravenes the spirit, culture and constitution of Bangladesh. &nbsp;

&quot;This&nbsp;[sculpture] has been&nbsp;cladded in a sari and presented in a way that gives&nbsp;into vulgarity.&nbsp;We do not think we have to borrow civilisation of other country and practice that which is tantamount to&nbsp;shirk&nbsp;[sin of practising polytheism],&quot;&nbsp;Mufti Foyzullah, joint general secretary of&nbsp;Hefazat-E-Islam, a rightwing Muslim conservative party told WION.

More importantly, Foyzullah continued:&nbsp;&quot;This has been installed in front of the&nbsp;national&nbsp;Idgah where the&nbsp;Muslim prayer congregations take place during two Eid.&quot;

Legal practitioners, however, see the installation as a symbol of justice. &quot;Our culture in the delta is a mixture of many traditions and streams and this statue personifies a universal aspiration towards justice,&quot; retorted&nbsp;Sara Hossain, a prominent&nbsp;supreme court lawyer.

The latest demand from&nbsp;Hefazat&nbsp;comes at a time when ultra conservatism has gripped the country.&nbsp;

Hefazat&nbsp;came to popularity&nbsp;through&nbsp;a&nbsp;2013 protest and subsequent shootout&nbsp;by security forces&nbsp;at the Shapla Square in Dhaka.&nbsp;

The Chittagong-based pressure group came to prominence during the protests as they demanded enactment of blasphemy law in the country. They had penned a 13-point demand, including ban on&nbsp;installation of sculptures in the city,&nbsp;mandatory Islamic education in schools,&nbsp;among others.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION)

They say the Lady Justice sculpture outside the top court violates the spirit of Bangladesh's fabric as it resembles a Greek goddess

Right-wing conservative party Hefazat-e-Islam has warned of waging demonstrations on February 24 in Dhaka and Chittagong unless the Bangladesh government removes a sculpture that resembles a Greek goddess from the precincts of the supreme court. Hefazat-e-Islam and other Islamist political parties such as Islami Oikya Jote said the sculpture of Lady Justice carrying the scale in front of the supreme court resembles the Greek deity Themis and contravenes the spirit, culture and constitution of Bangladesh. "This [sculpture] has been cladded in a sari and presented in a way that gives into vulgarity. We do not think we have to borrow civilisation of other country and practice that which is tantamount to shirk [sin of practising polytheism]," Mufti Foyzullah, joint general secretary of Hefazat-E-Islam, a rightwing Muslim conservative party told WION. More importantly, Foyzullah continued: "This has been installed in front of the national Idgah where the Muslim prayer congregations take place during two Eid." Legal practitioners, however, see the installation as a symbol of justice. "Our culture in the delta is a mixture of many traditions and streams and this statue personifies a universal aspiration towards justice," retorted Sara Hossain, a prominent supreme court lawyer. The latest demand from Hefazat comes at a time when ultra conservatism has gripped the country. Hefazat came to popularity through a 2013 protest and subsequent shootout by security forces at the Shapla Square in Dhaka. The Chittagong-based pressure group came to prominence during the protests as they demanded enactment of blasphemy law in the country. They had penned a 13-point demand, including ban on installation of sculptures in the city, mandatory Islamic education in schools, among others. (WION)

Bangladesh: Islamist parties demand removal of supreme court sculpture

A Bangladeshi court on Monday sentenced 26 people including a ruling party politician and three senior&nbsp;officials of security forces to death for the murder of seven people in Narayanganj in April 2014. 
&nbsp; 
The court found Nur Hossain, a member of the ruling&nbsp;Awami League,&nbsp;guilty of hiring officials of the Rapid Action Battalion to kill his political rival and four of his aides. A lawyer, who filmed the abduction of the five people, and his driver were also subsequently abducted and killed. Their bodies were&nbsp;later found floating on the Shitalakhya river in Narayanganj. 
&nbsp; 
Rights groups have pointed out the notoriety of Bangladesh&rsquo;s security forces for state-sponsored killings and enforced disappearances for some years. 
&nbsp; 
One of those found guilty is Tarek Sayeed, a former lieutenant colonel of Bangladesh army and a commander of the Rapid Action Battalion, who is also the son-in-law of a minister of Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s government. 
&nbsp; 
Between January 2009 and December 2016 there have been at least 329 disappearances reported, say rights groups. The government denied these incidents. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;There is a dent in those denials. For the first time the claims of that state agencies are involved in wrongful acts has been vindicated by this judgment,&rdquo; said CR Abrar, president of Bangladesh&rsquo;s human rights organisation Odhikar. 
&nbsp; 
International rights groups,including Human Rights Watch,&nbsp;criticised Bangladesh for the impunity state security forces enjoyed despite committing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. 
&nbsp; 
Names of more senior authorities of security forces surfaced during the&nbsp;investigation of the seven murders in Narayanganj, which eventually did not make into the final list of the accused. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Our only concern is that the real perpetrators have been identified because initially fingers were pointed at higher authorities. We don&rsquo;t know to what extent that has been investigated or whether any compromise was made to that regard,&rdquo; Abrar told WION. 
&nbsp; 
Following the verdict on Monday morning, Shakhawat Hossain Khan, a prosecution lawyer expressed his satisfaction. &ldquo;We finally got justice,&rdquo; he told reporters in a&nbsp;packed courtroom. 
&nbsp; 
Security was beefed up ahead of the verdict to thwart any untoward incident. The disappearance of Ilias Ali, a senior politician of Bangladesh Nationalist Party in April 2012, remains unresolved.

The opposition party claims hundreds of its activists have been abducted by plainclothesmen identifying themselves as members of security forces.

&nbsp;

(WION)

Nur Hossain, a member of the ruling Awami League, was found guilty of hiring officials of the Rapid Action Battalion to kill his rival

A Bangladeshi court on Monday sentenced 26 people including a ruling party politician and three senior officials of security forces to death for the murder of seven people in Narayanganj in April 2014. The court found Nur Hossain, a member of the ruling Awami League, guilty of hiring officials of the Rapid Action Battalion to kill his political rival and four of his aides. A lawyer, who filmed the abduction of the five people, and his driver were also subsequently abducted and killed. Their bodies were later found floating on the Shitalakhya river in Narayanganj. Rights groups have pointed out the notoriety of Bangladesh’s security forces for state-sponsored killings and enforced disappearances for some years. One of those found guilty is Tarek Sayeed, a former lieutenant colonel of Bangladesh army and a commander of the Rapid Action Battalion, who is also the son-in-law of a minister of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Between January 2009 and December 2016 there have been at least 329 disappearances reported, say rights groups. The government denied these incidents. “There is a dent in those denials. For the first time the claims of that state agencies are involved in wrongful acts has been vindicated by this judgment,” said CR Abrar, president of Bangladesh’s human rights organisation Odhikar. International rights groups,including Human Rights Watch, criticised Bangladesh for the impunity state security forces enjoyed despite committing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Names of more senior authorities of security forces surfaced during the investigation of the seven murders in Narayanganj, which eventually did not make into the final list of the accused. “Our only concern is that the real perpetrators have been identified because initially fingers were pointed at higher authorities. We don’t know to what extent that has been investigated or whether any compromise was made to that regard,” Abrar told WION. Following the verdict on Monday morning, Shakhawat Hossain Khan, a prosecution lawyer expressed his satisfaction. “We finally got justice,” he told reporters in a packed courtroom. Security was beefed up ahead of the verdict to thwart any untoward incident. The disappearance of Ilias Ali, a senior politician of Bangladesh Nationalist Party in April 2012, remains unresolved. The opposition party claims hundreds of its activists have been abducted by plainclothesmen identifying themselves as members of security forces. (WION)

Bangladesh politician hired elite security unit to assassinate party rival, court sentences 26 to death

Bangladesh police said Nurul Islam Marzan, a key coordinator of the attack on an upscale Dhaka cafe last July which left at least 20 people dead in its wake, was killed Friday morning in a gunfight with police.&nbsp;

Another man who is a suspect in the murders of Hindu priest Jogeshwar Roy, Hossain Ali, a Christian convert from Islam, and Japanese national Hoshi Kunio was also killed in the gunfight, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime chief Monirul Islam confirmed to WION.

Ali was killed in March last year. Roy in February, and Kunio in October 2015.

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The Holey Artisan bakery and O&#39;Kitchen restaurant after it was retaken by Bangladeshi army commandos. (Reuters)
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Security forces said Marzan was a key coordinator of the July attack, and that the terrorists who had taken hold of the cafe had shared photographs of the atrocities they committed inside with Marzan via encrypted messages.

Police said Marzan was a member of the neo Jamaatul Mujhideen Bangladesh and had been involved in the &quot;motivational training&quot; of militants in the country.

A student of the department of Arabic at Chittagong University, Marzan disappeared from the radar in January last year.

The attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka&#39;s diplomatic area in July last year killed at least 20 civilians, including 17 foreign nationals. One of those killed was a 19-year-old Indian girl,&nbsp;Tarishi Jain.&nbsp;

After a nearly 13-hour hostage crisis, Bangladesh Army&nbsp;commados launched &quot;Operation Thunderbolt&quot; to retake the cafe. Five terrorists were killed in the operation.&nbsp;

Islamic State later released photographs of the five terrorists and claimed responsibility for the attack.&nbsp;

Monirul Islam had earlier told WION that his counter-terrorist unit was hunting three militants, including Marzan, on priority.

Syed Ziaul Haque, chief of the Ansar Al Islam, an Al-Qaida affiliate in the Indian subcontinent, and Mynul Musa, a leader of the neo JMB, are the other two terrorists. They are still at large.

&quot;There has been an effort by the law enforcement agencies to gradually fold up or dismantle some of the key networks that they have identified and go after some of the top leadership of the neo JMB and some of the other groups which have become very prominent in recent times,&quot; said Shafqat Munir, a security analyst with the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.&nbsp;

An awkward silence

Despite the coordinated efforts of security forces, which has resulted in the killing of at least 28 suspected militants since the July attack, Dhaka has been experiencing an awkward &quot;silence&quot;.

But the absence of more attacks since the July one last year cannot rule out the possibility of terrorists having more cards under their sleeves, warned Brigadier General (Retd.) Sakhawat Hussain, a security analyst.&nbsp;

&quot;There are serious challenges that still remain in our path,&quot; Munir told WION.

Analysts also caution that terrorist networks are not confined to key leadership alone, and that law enforcement agencies need to keep a close eye on sleeper cells and other parts of the networks. &nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

Another man who is a suspect in the murders of a Hindu priest and a Christian convert from Islam was also killed in the gun battle

Bangladesh police said Nurul Islam Marzan, a key coordinator of the attack on an upscale Dhaka cafe last July which left at least 20 people dead in its wake, was killed Friday morning in a gunfight with police. Another man who is a suspect in the murders of Hindu priest Jogeshwar Roy, Hossain Ali, a Christian convert from Islam, and Japanese national Hoshi Kunio was also killed in the gunfight, Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime chief Monirul Islam confirmed to WION. Ali was killed in March last year. Roy in February, and Kunio in October 2015. The Holey Artisan bakery and O'Kitchen restaurant after it was retaken by Bangladeshi army commandos. (Reuters) × Security forces said Marzan was a key coordinator of the July attack, and that the terrorists who had taken hold of the cafe had shared photographs of the atrocities they committed inside with Marzan via encrypted messages. Police said Marzan was a member of the neo Jamaatul Mujhideen Bangladesh and had been involved in the "motivational training" of militants in the country. A student of the department of Arabic at Chittagong University, Marzan disappeared from the radar in January last year. The attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's diplomatic area in July last year killed at least 20 civilians, including 17 foreign nationals. One of those killed was a 19-year-old Indian girl, Tarishi Jain. After a nearly 13-hour hostage crisis, Bangladesh Army commados launched "Operation Thunderbolt" to retake the cafe. Five terrorists were killed in the operation. Islamic State later released photographs of the five terrorists and claimed responsibility for the attack. Monirul Islam had earlier told WION that his counter-terrorist unit was hunting three militants, including Marzan, on priority. Syed Ziaul Haque, chief of the Ansar Al Islam, an Al-Qaida affiliate in the Indian subcontinent, and Mynul Musa, a leader of the neo JMB, are the other two terrorists. They are still at large. "There has been an effort by the law enforcement agencies to gradually fold up or dismantle some of the key networks that they have identified and go after some of the top leadership of the neo JMB and some of the other groups which have become very prominent in recent times," said Shafqat Munir, a security analyst with the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. An awkward silence Despite the coordinated efforts of security forces, which has resulted in the killing of at least 28 suspected militants since the July attack, Dhaka has been experiencing an awkward "silence". But the absence of more attacks since the July one last year cannot rule out the possibility of terrorists having more cards under their sleeves, warned Brigadier General (Retd.) Sakhawat Hussain, a security analyst. "There are serious challenges that still remain in our path," Munir told WION. Analysts also caution that terrorist networks are not confined to key leadership alone, and that law enforcement agencies need to keep a close eye on sleeper cells and other parts of the networks. (WION)

Bangladesh: Key coordinator of Dhaka cafe attack killed in gunfight with police

A major fire broke out at the wholesale Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) market in the Gulshan-1 area of the Bangladeshi capital early this morning.

Twenty-two units of the fire service and civil defence were deployed to douse the fire which had not been brought under control eight hours after it started.

No casualties have been reported so far and the cause of the&nbsp;fire has not yet been ascertained. The fire broke out around 1 am local time.&nbsp;

The two-storied market consists of nearly 1,200 shops.

&quot;The fire broke out from the eastern part of the market which stores stationeries and cosmetics. The fire is being difficult to bring under control due to the plastic materials inside the market,&quot; said Al-haj Mohammed Ullah, owner of La-Sany Furniture at DCC Market.

The eastern half of the market, consisting of close to 300 shops, has been completely damaged, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, publicity secretary of the DCC shop owners&#39;&nbsp;association, told WION.

The wholesale market is popular with people looking for imported fast-moving consumer goods.

Shop owners told WION the fire service had not had enough water to put out the fire.

One of the owners of the Bismillah Bedding Store, Gias Uddin, told WION that plumes of smoke were still being seen.

&quot;I arrived at 3:45 am at the market and the fire service did not come prepared. They ran out of water a minute after starting the water pipes,&quot; he said.

The fire also spread to the western half of the market which stocks furniture and crockery and where another 236 shops are feared damaged.

&quot;The fire is still concentrating inside the collapsed buildings where water is being difficult to reach and is spreading to other parts of the market,&quot; said Samarendra Nath, deputy director of the fire service and civil defence. &nbsp;

&quot;There are goods and cash worth at least $30,000 to $126,000 in each of the shops,&quot; Shahidul Islam told WION.&nbsp;

Bangladesh has suffered major fires in shopping malls and garment factories, in which hundreds of lives have been lost.&nbsp;

Last August, a fire at Dhaka&#39;s Bashundhara City shopping complex, one of the largest shopping malls in South Asia, burned down at least 100 shops on the fifth floor of the market.&nbsp;

(WION)

Shop owners said the fire department had not had enough water to put out the flames

A major fire broke out at the wholesale Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) market in the Gulshan-1 area of the Bangladeshi capital early this morning. Twenty-two units of the fire service and civil defence were deployed to douse the fire which had not been brought under control eight hours after it started. No casualties have been reported so far and the cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. The fire broke out around 1 am local time. The two-storied market consists of nearly 1,200 shops. "The fire broke out from the eastern part of the market which stores stationeries and cosmetics. The fire is being difficult to bring under control due to the plastic materials inside the market," said Al-haj Mohammed Ullah, owner of La-Sany Furniture at DCC Market. The eastern half of the market, consisting of close to 300 shops, has been completely damaged, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, publicity secretary of the DCC shop owners' association, told WION. The wholesale market is popular with people looking for imported fast-moving consumer goods. Shop owners told WION the fire service had not had enough water to put out the fire. One of the owners of the Bismillah Bedding Store, Gias Uddin, told WION that plumes of smoke were still being seen. "I arrived at 3:45 am at the market and the fire service did not come prepared. They ran out of water a minute after starting the water pipes," he said. The fire also spread to the western half of the market which stocks furniture and crockery and where another 236 shops are feared damaged. "The fire is still concentrating inside the collapsed buildings where water is being difficult to reach and is spreading to other parts of the market," said Samarendra Nath, deputy director of the fire service and civil defence. "There are goods and cash worth at least $30,000 to $126,000 in each of the shops," Shahidul Islam told WION. Bangladesh has suffered major fires in shopping malls and garment factories, in which hundreds of lives have been lost. Last August, a fire at Dhaka's Bashundhara City shopping complex, one of the largest shopping malls in South Asia, burned down at least 100 shops on the fifth floor of the market. (WION)

Bangladesh: Fire at Dhaka wholesale market guts hundreds of shops

Bangladesh will be on high alert on New Year&#39;s&nbsp;as much as Europe and other parts of the world. But unlike the other countries where civilians will be watchful, in Dhaka&nbsp;people must end their outdoor errands by 8 pm on December 31, and no fireworks are allowed.

Bangladesh&nbsp;interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan has already announced that tight security will be maintained on the streets&nbsp;and the diplomatic zones will have tight security.

New Year celebrations in Bangladesh have become a very dry, private and restricted affair in the past decade or so, and the July caf&eacute; attack in Dhaka has added to the reasons to continue the trend. At least 20 lives were lost in the caf&eacute; attack, and, while no life matters less, the killing of 17 foreigners alarmed visitors to the country.

This has had implications on investments in the country, besides concerns for tourism, and reputation. The garment industry, which attracts most interest from western and European buyers, has witnessed a fall in visits.&nbsp;Many business meetings now take place in Hong Kong and Singapore.

&ldquo;We are aware that a lot of buyers cancelled their tickets and did not travel to Bangladesh. Many restaurants and hotels ran out of customers for quite a few months,&rdquo; said Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and transnational crime, Bangladesh police.

Since July&nbsp;security forces have carried out at least nine operations in which 28 suspected militants were killed. The counter-terrorist units have claimed significant success in the operations,&nbsp;which took down Tamim Chowdhury, a suspected leader of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The Neo JMB, according to Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, is an affiliate of the Islamic State.

In another operation, Jahidul Islam, a former major of Bangladesh army, and a suspected member of Neo JMB, was killed on September 2.

Syed Ziaul Haque --&nbsp;another former major of Bangladesh army, who is said to be leading Ansar Al Islam, an affiliate of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) --&nbsp;is still at large. Two others of interest are Maynul Musa and Nurul Islam Marzan --&nbsp;both leaders of the Neo JMB.

&ldquo;In 2016 we had some unprecedented terrorist incidents that never happened in Bangladesh. Law enforcment&nbsp;agencies are working (on it)&nbsp;and after the Gulshan incident, people from all spheres of life have come together against terrorism. That is the main strength of Bangladesh,&rdquo; says Islam, also an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

&ldquo;We think that we are now more experienced in combating terrorism. We are optimistic that in 2017, with our increased knowledge and expertise of countering terrorism, we will be able to dismantle their organisational structure,&rdquo; Islam told WION.

Islam&rsquo;s counter-terrorist unit&nbsp;arrested five members of JMB on December 28 in Dhaka with 30 kilograms of explosive. Even as law enforcers take preemptive measures to thwart subversive activities in an otherwise peace-loving Bangladesh, the attacks and efforts at foiling them have become almost concurrent.

(WION)

Security forces say they hoped to dismantle terror organisations in 2017 with the experience gathered in countering them this year

Bangladesh will be on high alert on New Year's as much as Europe and other parts of the world. But unlike the other countries where civilians will be watchful, in Dhaka people must end their outdoor errands by 8 pm on December 31, and no fireworks are allowed. Bangladesh interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan has already announced that tight security will be maintained on the streets and the diplomatic zones will have tight security. New Year celebrations in Bangladesh have become a very dry, private and restricted affair in the past decade or so, and the July café attack in Dhaka has added to the reasons to continue the trend. At least 20 lives were lost in the café attack, and, while no life matters less, the killing of 17 foreigners alarmed visitors to the country. This has had implications on investments in the country, besides concerns for tourism, and reputation. The garment industry, which attracts most interest from western and European buyers, has witnessed a fall in visits. Many business meetings now take place in Hong Kong and Singapore. “We are aware that a lot of buyers cancelled their tickets and did not travel to Bangladesh. Many restaurants and hotels ran out of customers for quite a few months,” said Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and transnational crime, Bangladesh police. Since July security forces have carried out at least nine operations in which 28 suspected militants were killed. The counter-terrorist units have claimed significant success in the operations, which took down Tamim Chowdhury, a suspected leader of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The Neo JMB, according to Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, is an affiliate of the Islamic State. In another operation, Jahidul Islam, a former major of Bangladesh army, and a suspected member of Neo JMB, was killed on September 2. Syed Ziaul Haque -- another former major of Bangladesh army, who is said to be leading Ansar Al Islam, an affiliate of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) -- is still at large. Two others of interest are Maynul Musa and Nurul Islam Marzan -- both leaders of the Neo JMB. “In 2016 we had some unprecedented terrorist incidents that never happened in Bangladesh. Law enforcment agencies are working (on it) and after the Gulshan incident, people from all spheres of life have come together against terrorism. That is the main strength of Bangladesh,” says Islam, also an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. “We think that we are now more experienced in combating terrorism. We are optimistic that in 2017, with our increased knowledge and expertise of countering terrorism, we will be able to dismantle their organisational structure,” Islam told WION. Islam’s counter-terrorist unit arrested five members of JMB on December 28 in Dhaka with 30 kilograms of explosive. Even as law enforcers take preemptive measures to thwart subversive activities in an otherwise peace-loving Bangladesh, the attacks and efforts at foiling them have become almost concurrent. (WION)

Terror-stricken Bangladesh gears up for muted New Year's celebration

Twenty-three Nobel laureates and global leaders have jointly issued a letter on Thursday to the president of the United Nations Security Council urging the United Nations to take actions to stop persecution against Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar and end the crisis there.

Signatories of the letter include Nobel peace laureates Muhammad Yunus, Jody Williams, Jos&eacute; Ramos-Horta, founder and editor of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi among others.

The letter expressed disappointment at Myanmar&rsquo;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, herself a Nobel peace prize laureate, for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

It states, &ldquo;Despite repeated appeals to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi we are frustrated that she has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas. Daw Suu Kyi is the leader and is the one with the primary responsibility to lead, and lead with courage, humanity and compassion.

&ldquo;We urge the United Nations to do everything possible to encourage the Government of Myanmar to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, so that people receive emergency assistance. Access for journalists and human rights monitors should also be permitted, and an independent, international inquiry to establish the truth about the current situation should be established.

&ldquo;Furthermore, we urge the members of UN Security Council to put this crisis on Security Council&rsquo;s agenda as a matter of urgency, and to call upon the Secretary-General to visit Myanmar in the coming weeks as a priority. If the current Secretary-General is able to do so, we would urge him to go; if not, we encourage the new Secretary-General to make it one of his first tasks after he takes office in January.

&ldquo;It is time for the international community as a whole to speak out much more strongly. After Rwanda, world leaders said &lsquo;never again&rsquo;. If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets, and we may end up being the passive observers of crimes against humanity which will lead us once again to wring our hands belatedly and say &lsquo;never again&rsquo; all over again.&rdquo;

Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, Bangladeshi foreign ministry in Dhaka said on Thursday. The ministry summoned Myanmar&rsquo;s ambassador to express &ldquo;deep concern at the continued influx&rdquo; of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory.

Myanmar&rsquo;s armed security forces launched an&nbsp;offensive in the western state of Rakhine after 10 border policemen were killed in the state allegedly by members of the Rohingya community on October 9. The entire community has been made to pay the price as the security forces razed their homes, raped the women and assaulted members of the community.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When you persecute people like that and push [them] into Bangladesh by torturing them Bangladesh would definitely have a concern and I would say India should also be concerned because some of them [Rohingyas] have gone there as well,&rdquo; said Brigadier General (R) Sakhawat Hussain.

Bangladesh has been accommodating between 300,000 to 500,000 Rohingya Muslims, according to unofficial estimates for years.

(WION)

They expressed disappointment at Myanmar leader Suu Kyi for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Rohingya minority

Twenty-three Nobel laureates and global leaders have jointly issued a letter on Thursday to the president of the United Nations Security Council urging the United Nations to take actions to stop persecution against Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar and end the crisis there. Signatories of the letter include Nobel peace laureates Muhammad Yunus, Jody Williams, José Ramos-Horta, founder and editor of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi among others. The letter expressed disappointment at Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, herself a Nobel peace prize laureate, for turning a blind eye to the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority. It states, “Despite repeated appeals to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi we are frustrated that she has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas. Daw Suu Kyi is the leader and is the one with the primary responsibility to lead, and lead with courage, humanity and compassion. “We urge the United Nations to do everything possible to encourage the Government of Myanmar to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, so that people receive emergency assistance. Access for journalists and human rights monitors should also be permitted, and an independent, international inquiry to establish the truth about the current situation should be established. “Furthermore, we urge the members of UN Security Council to put this crisis on Security Council’s agenda as a matter of urgency, and to call upon the Secretary-General to visit Myanmar in the coming weeks as a priority. If the current Secretary-General is able to do so, we would urge him to go; if not, we encourage the new Secretary-General to make it one of his first tasks after he takes office in January. “It is time for the international community as a whole to speak out much more strongly. After Rwanda, world leaders said ‘never again’. If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets, and we may end up being the passive observers of crimes against humanity which will lead us once again to wring our hands belatedly and say ‘never again’ all over again.” Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, Bangladeshi foreign ministry in Dhaka said on Thursday. The ministry summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to express “deep concern at the continued influx” of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory. Myanmar’s armed security forces launched an offensive in the western state of Rakhine after 10 border policemen were killed in the state allegedly by members of the Rohingya community on October 9. The entire community has been made to pay the price as the security forces razed their homes, raped the women and assaulted members of the community. “When you persecute people like that and push [them] into Bangladesh by torturing them Bangladesh would definitely have a concern and I would say India should also be concerned because some of them [Rohingyas] have gone there as well,” said Brigadier General (R) Sakhawat Hussain. Bangladesh has been accommodating between 300,000 to 500,000 Rohingya Muslims, according to unofficial estimates for years. (WION)

Global leaders urge UN to resolve Rohingya crisis

The typical assessment for militancy in Bangladesh has been a case of poverty and illiteracy. This year&nbsp;has seen suspects with diverse identities and ones that have until recently been unsuspected. 
&nbsp; 
Former defence personnel, educated youth and women perpetrators of terror&nbsp;have shocked people about the avenues of terrorist recruitment. 
&nbsp; 
The diversity of profiles that have now&nbsp;become more apparent is a result of an ideological environment that has extended a moral licence to radicalisation. 
&nbsp; 
While security forces are on an all-out effort to crackdown on militants in the country, Bangladesh is experiencing newer levels of extremism. 
&nbsp; 
The chief of Al-Qaida&rsquo;s local affiliate, Ansar Al Islam, is Syed Ziaul Haque, a former major who was sacked from Bangladesh Army in 2011. Dhaka&rsquo;s counter terrorist forces killed&nbsp;Jahidul Islam, another former major, who was one of the leaders of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
There are youths from educated and affluent backgrounds joining terrorist outfits. This first came to prominence through the July attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, where at least three of the attackers came from top universities and schools. 
&nbsp; 
The latest revelation for Bangladesh is how women have joined militant outfits to become suicide bombers. 
&nbsp; 
The latest raid at Ashkona in Dhaka on December 24, titled &#39;Operation Ripple 24&#39;, revealed how terrorists have motivated women&nbsp;into becoming suicide bombers. While two suspected female militants surrendered to the police during the raid, one of them blew herself up. This is the first time Bangladesh has seen radicalised women go to such an extreme. 
&nbsp; 
Security forces say that most of the Bangladeshi female radicals are&nbsp;influenced by their husbands and that they did not voluntarily become radicals. That is still a considerable threat. Expanding tribes through kinship in the Chinese dynasties has been a political strategy to keep supremacy as early as in 1500 BC. Such practice has evolved among political parties even in Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
WION has learned&nbsp;from investigators that contrary to the belief that the female jihadists became radicalised under pressure from&nbsp;their husbands, there are also those such as Jebunnahar Shila, wife of deceased militant, Jahidul Islam, who is&nbsp;defensive about her extremist values. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We need to recognise that the threat as we knew it has evolved quite substantially. The type of people who were attracted to militancy and the radical path in the past, the profiles of those individuals have changed a lot,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Shafqat Munir, research fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;When we look at 2017, we have to acknowledge that the threat is substantial and various new kinds of people are getting attracted to radical ideology. So our countering violent extremism and counter radicalisation strategy have to be geared towards that,&rdquo; he told&nbsp;WION. 
&nbsp; 
Investigators are saying that youth devoid of the history and culture of Bangladesh are more susceptible to radicalisation. And while&nbsp;there is no one theory explaining the&nbsp;radicalisation of Bangladesh&nbsp;youth across&nbsp;socioeconomic backgrounds, the access and exposure to&nbsp;extremist ideologies has&nbsp;become more pervasive. 
&nbsp; 
No militant attacks have occurred since July in Dhaka, but the tension is no longer local. Under cover of religious virtues, terrorism seeks to lend local and personal grievances a global perspective. There is an awkward quiet&nbsp;in the air&nbsp;where security analysts fear that the possibility of more attacks cannot be ruled out.

(WION)

The old profile of radicals is expanding. Former defence personnel, educated youth and women have taken part in terror activity this year

The typical assessment for militancy in Bangladesh has been a case of poverty and illiteracy. This year has seen suspects with diverse identities and ones that have until recently been unsuspected. Former defence personnel, educated youth and women perpetrators of terror have shocked people about the avenues of terrorist recruitment. The diversity of profiles that have now become more apparent is a result of an ideological environment that has extended a moral licence to radicalisation. While security forces are on an all-out effort to crackdown on militants in the country, Bangladesh is experiencing newer levels of extremism. The chief of Al-Qaida’s local affiliate, Ansar Al Islam, is Syed Ziaul Haque, a former major who was sacked from Bangladesh Army in 2011. Dhaka’s counter terrorist forces killed Jahidul Islam, another former major, who was one of the leaders of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. There are youths from educated and affluent backgrounds joining terrorist outfits. This first came to prominence through the July attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, where at least three of the attackers came from top universities and schools. The latest revelation for Bangladesh is how women have joined militant outfits to become suicide bombers. The latest raid at Ashkona in Dhaka on December 24, titled 'Operation Ripple 24', revealed how terrorists have motivated women into becoming suicide bombers. While two suspected female militants surrendered to the police during the raid, one of them blew herself up. This is the first time Bangladesh has seen radicalised women go to such an extreme. Security forces say that most of the Bangladeshi female radicals are influenced by their husbands and that they did not voluntarily become radicals. That is still a considerable threat. Expanding tribes through kinship in the Chinese dynasties has been a political strategy to keep supremacy as early as in 1500 BC. Such practice has evolved among political parties even in Bangladesh. WION has learned from investigators that contrary to the belief that the female jihadists became radicalised under pressure from their husbands, there are also those such as Jebunnahar Shila, wife of deceased militant, Jahidul Islam, who is defensive about her extremist values. “We need to recognise that the threat as we knew it has evolved quite substantially. The type of people who were attracted to militancy and the radical path in the past, the profiles of those individuals have changed a lot,” said Shafqat Munir, research fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. “When we look at 2017, we have to acknowledge that the threat is substantial and various new kinds of people are getting attracted to radical ideology. So our countering violent extremism and counter radicalisation strategy have to be geared towards that,” he told WION. Investigators are saying that youth devoid of the history and culture of Bangladesh are more susceptible to radicalisation. And while there is no one theory explaining the radicalisation of Bangladesh youth across socioeconomic backgrounds, the access and exposure to extremist ideologies has become more pervasive. No militant attacks have occurred since July in Dhaka, but the tension is no longer local. Under cover of religious virtues, terrorism seeks to lend local and personal grievances a global perspective. There is an awkward quiet in the air where security analysts fear that the possibility of more attacks cannot be ruled out. (WION)

Terrorism beyond poor and illiterate: Bangladesh case study

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Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Saad Hammadi

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