UN Secretary-General <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-pm-appeals-oic-to-stand-beside-rohingyas-134900">Antonio Guterres said on Thursday</a> several thousand Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps should be relocated in order to save them from floods as they were "extremely vulnerable to the monsoon." .

"The monsoon is the biggest concern," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

The UN chiefs <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/violence-against-rohingya-exposed-in-shocking-photos-131241">views come amid reports</a> of Bangladesh planning to relocate the Rohingyas to an island, however, there are no immediate reports of it being ready.

"Higher ground is the best place for this kind of relocation," the UN chief added.

Over 700,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar since August last year after reports emerged of persecution by the Army.

Bangladesh was hit by an exodus of refugees with both the UN and the US calling the Myanmar military government to stop the "ethnic cleansing".

Guterres said the UN is in touch with the Bangladesh government on finding a permanent base for the Rohingyas, even though the outcome of the backroom talks is still not clear.

Bangladesh was hit by an exodus of refugees with both the UN and the US calling the Myanmar military government to stop the "ethnic cleansing".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday several thousand Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps should be relocated in order to save them from floods as they were "extremely vulnerable to the monsoon." . "The monsoon is the biggest concern," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. The UN chiefs views come amid reports of Bangladesh planning to relocate the Rohingyas to an island, however, there are no immediate reports of it being ready. "Higher ground is the best place for this kind of relocation," the UN chief added. Over 700,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar since August last year after reports emerged of persecution by the Army. Bangladesh was hit by an exodus of refugees with both the UN and the US calling the Myanmar military government to stop the "ethnic cleansing". Guterres said the UN is in touch with the Bangladesh government on finding a permanent base for the Rohingyas, even though the outcome of the backroom talks is still not clear.

Rohingyas should be relocated: UN to Bangladesh

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Myanmar where she will&nbsp;hold discussions on key bilateral and regional issues.

on reaching Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw Thursday, Sushma was received by Ambassador of India and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Later, she also held a meeting with the President of Myanmar,&nbsp;U Win Myint.

The&nbsp;External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted saying, "EAM will hold discussions with Myanmar leadership to further reinforce our bilateral ties".

Swaraj may discuss the situation of the Rakhine state and the displacement of over thousands of Rohingya Muslims from there since August.

Myanmar has a strategic role to play in India's neighbourhood as it shares its border with many northeastern states including Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.&nbsp;

In December last year, India has announced an aid of $ 25 million for the Rakhine state.

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On her arrival in Nay Pyi Taw, EAM <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SushmaSwaraj</a> was warmly received by Ambassador <a href="https://twitter.com/VikramMisri?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VikramMisri</a> and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Myint Thu. <a href="https://t.co/QLiv72TT1u">pic.twitter.com/QLiv72TT1u</a>
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Neighbourhood first! EAM <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SushmaSwaraj</a> emplanes for Nay Pyi Taw on a bilateral visit to Myanmar on 10-11 May. EAM will hold discussions with Myanmar leadership to further reinforce our bilateral ties. <a href="https://t.co/BArvYrT2PD">pic.twitter.com/BArvYrT2PD</a>
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Swaraj may discuss the situation of the Rakhine state and the displacement of over thousands of Rohingya Muslims from there since August

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Myanmar where she will hold discussions on key bilateral and regional issues. on reaching Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw Thursday, Sushma was received by Ambassador of India and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, she also held a meeting with the President of Myanmar, U Win Myint. The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted saying, "EAM will hold discussions with Myanmar leadership to further reinforce our bilateral ties". Swaraj may discuss the situation of the Rakhine state and the displacement of over thousands of Rohingya Muslims from there since August. Myanmar has a strategic role to play in India's neighbourhood as it shares its border with many northeastern states including Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. In December last year, India has announced an aid of $ 25 million for the Rakhine state. On her arrival in Nay Pyi Taw, EAM @SushmaSwaraj was warmly received by Ambassador @VikramMisri and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Myint Thu. pic.twitter.com/QLiv72TT1u — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 10, 2018 × Neighbourhood first! EAM @SushmaSwaraj emplanes for Nay Pyi Taw on a bilateral visit to Myanmar on 10-11 May. EAM will hold discussions with Myanmar leadership to further reinforce our bilateral ties. pic.twitter.com/BArvYrT2PD — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 10, 2018 ×

Sushma Swaraj may discuss Rohingya issue on two-day visit to Myanmar

The Tripura Police have arrested twenty-four Bangladeshi youth with suspected terror links from the Agartala railway station on Thursday.

The&nbsp;nationals were arrested&nbsp;by the Mobile Task Force (MTF) when they were travelling from Delhi to Agartala in the Tripura Sundari Express.

The MTF conducted a raid at the railway station after receiving inputs.

The arrested nationals were carrying fake Aadhaar cards and none of them had any valid passport. Three among the arrestee had expired Bangladeshi passport.

The MTF Superintendent also said that the arrested nationals may have a possible terror link.

A team of National Investigation Agency will visit Guhawati on Friday to interrogate the youth.

(With inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

The Bangladeshi nationals were arrested after the Mobile Task Force (MTF) personnel raided the Agartala railway station after receiving inputs

The Tripura Police have arrested twenty-four Bangladeshi youth with suspected terror links from the Agartala railway station on Thursday. The nationals were arrested by the Mobile Task Force (MTF) when they were travelling from Delhi to Agartala in the Tripura Sundari Express. The MTF conducted a raid at the railway station after receiving inputs. The arrested nationals were carrying fake Aadhaar cards and none of them had any valid passport. Three among the arrestee had expired Bangladeshi passport. The MTF Superintendent also said that the arrested nationals may have a possible terror link. A team of National Investigation Agency will visit Guhawati on Friday to interrogate the youth. (With inputs from PTI)

Tripura Police arrest 24 Bangladeshi youths with suspected terror links

The appellate division of the supreme court has scheduled a final order on Khaleda Zia's bail on May 15.

Zia has been sentenced a five-year imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. Her bail could decide the fate of her party at the national election due in less than a year.&nbsp;

Zia’s defence counsels challenged the government lawyers that there is not another case where a high court’s discretion to grant bail has been intervened in by the supreme court.

All eyes now await the order of the supreme court next week.

The appellate division of the supreme court heard the arguments of both sides on Wednesday.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Zia has been sentenced a five-year imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. Her bail could decide the fate of her party at the national election due in less than a year

The appellate division of the supreme court has scheduled a final order on Khaleda Zia's bail on May 15. Zia has been sentenced a five-year imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. Her bail could decide the fate of her party at the national election due in less than a year. Zia’s defence counsels challenged the government lawyers that there is not another case where a high court’s discretion to grant bail has been intervened in by the supreme court. All eyes now await the order of the supreme court next week. The appellate division of the supreme court heard the arguments of both sides on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Supreme Court to pronounce verdict on Khaleda Zia's bail on May 15

By: Rakib Ehsan*

A recent survey looking into attitudes towards immigrants of different origins has thrown up some interesting figures.

YouGov asked 1,668 UK adults whether immigrants from various parts of the world had made a positive or negative contribution to British life.

While immigrants from India received a healthy positive figure of +25, their South Asian counterparts are in negative territory. Bangladeshis have a net figure of -3. Pakistanis fare even worse at -4. Net figures are calculated by taking away the figure for "negative contribution" from the figure for "positive contribution".

There are a range of factors that might account for these differences - some historical, some economic and some social and religious.

Migratory story

The initial flow of steady Indian migration started in the 1950s. As well as a notable number of politically disaffected Punjabi Sikhs, this flow included a stream of highly educated Gujarati migrants. Many ended up working as medical professionals in the NHS.

In the 1970s, a number of migrants of Indian origin sought refuge in the UK following their expulsion from Uganda. The stream of Indian migration from East Africa also included people fleeing state discrimination in Kenya.

The vast proportion of these migrants were well-educated and entrepreneurial. Indeed, following their expulsion, the backbone of the Ugandan economy crumbled under Idi Amin’s dictatorship. Ugandan Indians are collectively a British success story.

Many of the initial Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants, on the other hand, originated from deprived regions such as Azad Kashmir, where the rate of Pakistani migration increased following the construction of the Mangla Dam in the 1960s, a project that left more than 250 villages submerged. Many others are from Sylhet and migrated following the damage caused by the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.

Settlers from Pakistan and Bangladesh often filled manual jobs, particularly those in steel mills and the textiles industry. Due to poor English skills, many were unable to progress in terms of employment or to interact with the wider population. This continues to be a problem within Britain’s Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, particularly among women.

Socio-economic status

Then there are differences in economic performance. According to 2010 data, Indians in the UK are far more likely to work in higher-skilled professional jobs than Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. A recent population survey found that 59% of UK women in a combined Bangladeshi-Pakistani category were economically inactive. The corresponding figure for Indian-origin women was only 32%.

British Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities have historically ranked highly when measuring average fertility rates by ethnicity in the UK. The fertility rate for British Indians is noticeably lower in comparison.

What this data collectively suggest is that due to superior occupational status, a higher proportion of two-income households and substantially lower fertility rates, British Indian households are far less likely to be dependent on welfare. Therefore perceptions regarding welfare dependency may have fed into the YouGov figures.

Social integration

The YouGov figures could also be influenced by differences in social contact. There is the possibility that a high number of the respondents simply don’t have much experience of communicating with people of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin.

The 2010 data shows that Bangladeshis and Pakistanis living in the UK have far higher levels of residential and social segregation than Indians. They are more likely to be part of social and economic networks which are predominantly made out of people from their own ethnic group. This is partly down to being occupationally segregated in the transport and hospitality sectors.

British Indians have higher levels of “social mixing” through friends, neighbours and work colleagues. This creates greater opportunities for positive contact across ethnic groups. “Outgroupers” may be less likely to experience positive contact with British Bangladeshis and Pakistanis due to the comparatively higher levels of social, economic and residential segregation within these groups.

Religious effect

The religious composition of the ethnic groups cannot be ignored either. A substantial proportion of UK Indians are either Hindu or Sikh. Britain’s Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are nearly all Sunni Muslim. And the 2010 data shows that UK Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are more likely to identify more with their faith (when traded-off against British identification).

Perceptions of homegrown terrorism and Islamic radicalisation could also have played a part in the negative net figures for the Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups. The ethnic background of perpetrators involved in domestic terrorist activities and UK citizens who have joined Daesh “as jihadis” or “jihadi brides” may be implicated in negative group perceptions, even if these people make up a tiny proportion of the population. Major cases of child sexual exploitation in places such as Rochdale and Rotherham are unlikely to have helped.

Looking to the future

The YouGov figures suggest that economic performance, social relations and religio-cultural values can all influence perceptions on immigration.

The negative actions of a minority can certainly lead to unfair generalisations. But considering the group trends in socioeconomic status and sociocultural integration, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Bangladeshi and Pakistani immigrants are viewed more negatively than those of Indian origin. The question remains what to do about it.

The state does have a role to play in improving social and economic outcomes. But frank discussions need to be held within certain groups over socioeconomic progress and sociocultural modernisation. And their place in Britain’s liberal democracy.

*Rakib Ehsan is Doctoral Researcher in Political Science at Royal Holloway

(This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/poll-finds-more-favourable-attitudes-towards-indian-immigrants-than-pakistanis-and-bangladeshis-why-96040">original article</a>.)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

A recent survey looking into attitudes towards immigrants of different origins asked 1,668 UK adults whether immigrants had made a positive or negative contribution to British life

By: Rakib Ehsan* A recent survey looking into attitudes towards immigrants of different origins has thrown up some interesting figures. YouGov asked 1,668 UK adults whether immigrants from various parts of the world had made a positive or negative contribution to British life. While immigrants from India received a healthy positive figure of +25, their South Asian counterparts are in negative territory. Bangladeshis have a net figure of -3. Pakistanis fare even worse at -4. Net figures are calculated by taking away the figure for "negative contribution" from the figure for "positive contribution". There are a range of factors that might account for these differences - some historical, some economic and some social and religious. Migratory story The initial flow of steady Indian migration started in the 1950s. As well as a notable number of politically disaffected Punjabi Sikhs, this flow included a stream of highly educated Gujarati migrants. Many ended up working as medical professionals in the NHS. In the 1970s, a number of migrants of Indian origin sought refuge in the UK following their expulsion from Uganda. The stream of Indian migration from East Africa also included people fleeing state discrimination in Kenya. The vast proportion of these migrants were well-educated and entrepreneurial. Indeed, following their expulsion, the backbone of the Ugandan economy crumbled under Idi Amin’s dictatorship. Ugandan Indians are collectively a British success story. Many of the initial Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants, on the other hand, originated from deprived regions such as Azad Kashmir, where the rate of Pakistani migration increased following the construction of the Mangla Dam in the 1960s, a project that left more than 250 villages submerged. Many others are from Sylhet and migrated following the damage caused by the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. Settlers from Pakistan and Bangladesh often filled manual jobs, particularly those in steel mills and the textiles industry. Due to poor English skills, many were unable to progress in terms of employment or to interact with the wider population. This continues to be a problem within Britain’s Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, particularly among women. Socio-economic status Then there are differences in economic performance. According to 2010 data, Indians in the UK are far more likely to work in higher-skilled professional jobs than Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. A recent population survey found that 59% of UK women in a combined Bangladeshi-Pakistani category were economically inactive. The corresponding figure for Indian-origin women was only 32%. British Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities have historically ranked highly when measuring average fertility rates by ethnicity in the UK. The fertility rate for British Indians is noticeably lower in comparison. What this data collectively suggest is that due to superior occupational status, a higher proportion of two-income households and substantially lower fertility rates, British Indian households are far less likely to be dependent on welfare. Therefore perceptions regarding welfare dependency may have fed into the YouGov figures. Social integration The YouGov figures could also be influenced by differences in social contact. There is the possibility that a high number of the respondents simply don’t have much experience of communicating with people of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin. The 2010 data shows that Bangladeshis and Pakistanis living in the UK have far higher levels of residential and social segregation than Indians. They are more likely to be part of social and economic networks which are predominantly made out of people from their own ethnic group. This is partly down to being occupationally segregated in the transport and hospitality sectors. British Indians have higher levels of “social mixing” through friends, neighbours and work colleagues. This creates greater opportunities for positive contact across ethnic groups. “Outgroupers” may be less likely to experience positive contact with British Bangladeshis and Pakistanis due to the comparatively higher levels of social, economic and residential segregation within these groups. Religious effect The religious composition of the ethnic groups cannot be ignored either. A substantial proportion of UK Indians are either Hindu or Sikh. Britain’s Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are nearly all Sunni Muslim. And the 2010 data shows that UK Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are more likely to identify more with their faith (when traded-off against British identification). Perceptions of homegrown terrorism and Islamic radicalisation could also have played a part in the negative net figures for the Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups. The ethnic background of perpetrators involved in domestic terrorist activities and UK citizens who have joined Daesh “as jihadis” or “jihadi brides” may be implicated in negative group perceptions, even if these people make up a tiny proportion of the population. Major cases of child sexual exploitation in places such as Rochdale and Rotherham are unlikely to have helped. Looking to the future The YouGov figures suggest that economic performance, social relations and religio-cultural values can all influence perceptions on immigration. The negative actions of a minority can certainly lead to unfair generalisations. But considering the group trends in socioeconomic status and sociocultural integration, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Bangladeshi and Pakistani immigrants are viewed more negatively than those of Indian origin. The question remains what to do about it. The state does have a role to play in improving social and economic outcomes. But frank discussions need to be held within certain groups over socioeconomic progress and sociocultural modernisation. And their place in Britain’s liberal democracy. *Rakib Ehsan is Doctoral Researcher in Political Science at Royal Holloway (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Britishers have favourable attitude towards Indian immigrants

With her 16-day old son lying asleep in her lap, tears streamed down the face of a 20-year-old Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh as she accused Myanmar troops of covering her eyes and mouth and raping her, before making her watch as they killed her husband.

“I don’t know if this baby is from my husband or the rape,” said the woman, speaking through a translator, during a visit by United Nations Security Council envoys to camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh sheltering nearly a million refugees.

Ahead of the council visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar last week, senior U.N. officials warned the envoys about the prospect of a flood of babies being born in the coming weeks and months in the refugee camps that could be the result of rape.

In a joint statement, U.N. envoy for sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, and U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights Andrew Gilmour wrote “reports suggest Rohingya women and girls were raped on a systematic and possibly massive scale.”

“Many of the women and girls raped in 2017 are due to give birth in the next few weeks, during the monsoon season, and we are concerned that many will not be able to access medical care to give birth safely,” they wrote.

Nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in the past eight months following a Myanmar military crackdown that the United Nations, United States and Britain have denounced as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing.

In March the United Nations launched an appeal for $951 million to help the Rohingya refugees for the rest of the year, but the world body said at the end of April it was only 9.0 percent funded.

The United Nations and aid groups working in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, said that it was difficult to know exactly how many women and girls were pregnant. It was even more difficult to know how many of the pregnancies were the result of rape.

“With the help of the U.N. bodies and other international and national (aid groups), we are trying to identify the pregnant women so that they get proper treatment,” said a senior Bangladesh health ministry official, who declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter.

He said that so far 18,300 pregnant women had been identified and the rough total estimate was around 25,000.

Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August sparked a military operation that Myanmar described as a legitimate response. Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale.

“Based on U.N. reports and testimonies from Rohingya women who told our staff of rape and sexual violence in Myanmar, we do sadly expect the number of babies born as a result of unwarranted pregnancies to increase in the coming months,” said Daphnee Cook, Save the Children’s spokeswoman in Cox’s Bazar.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently blacklisted the Myanmar armed forces in his annual report on conflict-related sexual violence. The military must now decide whether to work with Patten on a plan that would lead to their removal from the blacklist.

During a two hour meeting with Security Council envoys in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw last week, military chief Min Aung Hlaing vowed “harsh action” over sexual violence. According to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, he said: “Sexual violence (is) considered as despicable acts.”

Last November, Myanmar’s military release a report denying all accusations of rape by security forces.

Melissa How, Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Medical Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar, said the had seen “a number of women and girls” who had become pregnant from sexual violence in Myanmar or Bangladesh.

“Some have miscarried some have turned to traditional medicine and other methods to end their pregnancies, using unsafe methods. A number of women and girls have chosen to access MSF facilities for medical care, as well as menstrual regulation, in Bangladesh,” she said.

Abortion is illegal in Bangladesh but menstrual regulation to terminate a pregnancy is permissible. How also added that the majority of women in the camps who give birth do so outside health facilities.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but the deal poses a challenge for women who give birth to children born from cases of rape.

U.N. envoy Patten, who will visit Cox’s Bazar this month, said a complying with a requirement in the deal for women to go the Bangladesh Supreme Court to obtain a document noting that a child had been “born out of unwarranted incidence,” a reference to cases of rape resulting in pregnancy, may be too difficult for poor, illiterate women.

Ahead of the council visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar last week, senior U.N. officials warned the envoys about the prospect of a flood of babies being born in the coming weeks and months in the refugee camps that could be the result of rape

With her 16-day old son lying asleep in her lap, tears streamed down the face of a 20-year-old Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh as she accused Myanmar troops of covering her eyes and mouth and raping her, before making her watch as they killed her husband. “I don’t know if this baby is from my husband or the rape,” said the woman, speaking through a translator, during a visit by United Nations Security Council envoys to camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh sheltering nearly a million refugees. Ahead of the council visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar last week, senior U.N. officials warned the envoys about the prospect of a flood of babies being born in the coming weeks and months in the refugee camps that could be the result of rape. In a joint statement, U.N. envoy for sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, and U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights Andrew Gilmour wrote “reports suggest Rohingya women and girls were raped on a systematic and possibly massive scale.” “Many of the women and girls raped in 2017 are due to give birth in the next few weeks, during the monsoon season, and we are concerned that many will not be able to access medical care to give birth safely,” they wrote. Nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in the past eight months following a Myanmar military crackdown that the United Nations, United States and Britain have denounced as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing. In March the United Nations launched an appeal for $951 million to help the Rohingya refugees for the rest of the year, but the world body said at the end of April it was only 9.0 percent funded. The United Nations and aid groups working in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, said that it was difficult to know exactly how many women and girls were pregnant. It was even more difficult to know how many of the pregnancies were the result of rape. “With the help of the U.N. bodies and other international and national (aid groups), we are trying to identify the pregnant women so that they get proper treatment,” said a senior Bangladesh health ministry official, who declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter. He said that so far 18,300 pregnant women had been identified and the rough total estimate was around 25,000. Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August sparked a military operation that Myanmar described as a legitimate response. Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. “Based on U.N. reports and testimonies from Rohingya women who told our staff of rape and sexual violence in Myanmar, we do sadly expect the number of babies born as a result of unwarranted pregnancies to increase in the coming months,” said Daphnee Cook, Save the Children’s spokeswoman in Cox’s Bazar. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently blacklisted the Myanmar armed forces in his annual report on conflict-related sexual violence. The military must now decide whether to work with Patten on a plan that would lead to their removal from the blacklist. During a two hour meeting with Security Council envoys in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw last week, military chief Min Aung Hlaing vowed “harsh action” over sexual violence. According to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, he said: “Sexual violence (is) considered as despicable acts.” Last November, Myanmar’s military release a report denying all accusations of rape by security forces. Melissa How, Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Medical Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar, said the had seen “a number of women and girls” who had become pregnant from sexual violence in Myanmar or Bangladesh. “Some have miscarried some have turned to traditional medicine and other methods to end their pregnancies, using unsafe methods. A number of women and girls have chosen to access MSF facilities for medical care, as well as menstrual regulation, in Bangladesh,” she said. Abortion is illegal in Bangladesh but menstrual regulation to terminate a pregnancy is permissible. How also added that the majority of women in the camps who give birth do so outside health facilities. Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but the deal poses a challenge for women who give birth to children born from cases of rape. U.N. envoy Patten, who will visit Cox’s Bazar this month, said a complying with a requirement in the deal for women to go the Bangladesh Supreme Court to obtain a document noting that a child had been “born out of unwarranted incidence,” a reference to cases of rape resulting in pregnancy, may be too difficult for poor, illiterate women.

After Rohingya rape accusations, UN warns of imminent births

The supreme court is set to hear the appeals by the government and anti-corruption commission challenging a high court bail order to former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia. A special court on February 8, sentenced Zia to five years imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust.

Zia's defence counsel had prayed for her bail on grounds of her social status, age and primarily poor health conditions.

Reports say the 73-year-old former premier is suffering from chronic degenerative medical conditions.

A medical board formed to evaluate her health conditions concluded that her condition is not serious.

Her Bangladesh nationalist party leaders have warned that the government would be responsible if her condition deteriorates.

The supreme court is set to hear the appeals by the government and anti-corruption commission challenging a high court bail order to former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia. A special court on February 8, sentenced Zia to five years imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust

The supreme court is set to hear the appeals by the government and anti-corruption commission challenging a high court bail order to former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia. A special court on February 8, sentenced Zia to five years imprisonment on charges of misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. Zia's defence counsel had prayed for her bail on grounds of her social status, age and primarily poor health conditions. Reports say the 73-year-old former premier is suffering from chronic degenerative medical conditions. A medical board formed to evaluate her health conditions concluded that her condition is not serious. Her Bangladesh nationalist party leaders have warned that the government would be responsible if her condition deteriorates.

Bangladesh court to hear govt's appeal against Khalida Zia's bail today

The appellate division of the supreme court has adjourned the hearing against the bail order of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia until Wednesday.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The government and anti-corruption commission challenged a high court bail order for three months granted to Zia on March 12. 
&nbsp; 
The former premiere is currently serving a five-year jail term for misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. 
&nbsp; 
Zia's physicians have said that she has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years, diabetes for 20 years and hypertension for 10 years. 
&nbsp; 
Her defence counsel had prayed for her bail on grounds of her social status, age and primarily poor health conditions. 
&nbsp; 
A medical board formed to evaluate her health conditions concluded that her condition is not serious.

Her Bangladesh nationalist party leaders have warned that the government would be responsible if her condition deteriorates.

The appellate division led by chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain is expected to deliver its orders on Wednesday.

This is an election year and Zia's bail order would decide the fate of her party at the election due in less than a year.

BNP leaders say that the case is politically motivated to keep her behind bars so the ruling party has a clear passage to remain in power.

The government says this is a legal case and would follow the due course of the court.

The government and anti-corruption commission challenged a high court bail order for three months granted to Zia on March 12

The appellate division of the supreme court has adjourned the hearing against the bail order of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia until Wednesday. The government and anti-corruption commission challenged a high court bail order for three months granted to Zia on March 12. The former premiere is currently serving a five-year jail term for misappropriating $252,000 from the Zia orphanage trust. Zia's physicians have said that she has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years, diabetes for 20 years and hypertension for 10 years. Her defence counsel had prayed for her bail on grounds of her social status, age and primarily poor health conditions. A medical board formed to evaluate her health conditions concluded that her condition is not serious. Her Bangladesh nationalist party leaders have warned that the government would be responsible if her condition deteriorates. The appellate division led by chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain is expected to deliver its orders on Wednesday. This is an election year and Zia's bail order would decide the fate of her party at the election due in less than a year. BNP leaders say that the case is politically motivated to keep her behind bars so the ruling party has a clear passage to remain in power. The government says this is a legal case and would follow the due course of the court.

Bangladesh court to hear case against Khalida Zia's bail plea tomorrow

The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear two government petitions filed against former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

An Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, would hear the appeals today, as reported by the Daily Star.

The respective counsels for the ACC, government and Zia had been given time to prepare for their arguments the apex court.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that they would place arguments elaborately on the points on which the apex court had granted the leave-to-appeal petitions against the HC order and stayed the bail of Zia.

On the other hand, Khaleda's Lawyer has planned to argue on the grounds of Zia's ill health to secure her a bail.

Khan argued that Khaleda's lawyers failed to submit supporting documents to prove that she was ill.

The High Court had granted the BNP chief a bail considering her age, social status and the gravity of her crime, which the Khan said is not a valid ground to grant bail.

He further claimed that Khaleda had misused the privilege of bail and travelled abroad during the trial violating the existing laws.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that adequate preparations were done for placing arguments in support of government appeal.

Khaleda's lawyer Kayser Kamal said that BNP Chief Khaleda had submitted two concise statements on the petitions as per the Supreme Court directives.

Earlier in February Khaleda was been sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The case relates to corruption over the misuse of funds in a charity named after former President Zia-ur-Rahman, the former's husband, who was assassinated in 1981.&nbsp;&nbsp;

An Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, would hear the appeals today

The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear two government petitions filed against former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. An Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, would hear the appeals today, as reported by the Daily Star. The respective counsels for the ACC, government and Zia had been given time to prepare for their arguments the apex court. ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that they would place arguments elaborately on the points on which the apex court had granted the leave-to-appeal petitions against the HC order and stayed the bail of Zia. On the other hand, Khaleda's Lawyer has planned to argue on the grounds of Zia's ill health to secure her a bail. Khan argued that Khaleda's lawyers failed to submit supporting documents to prove that she was ill. The High Court had granted the BNP chief a bail considering her age, social status and the gravity of her crime, which the Khan said is not a valid ground to grant bail. He further claimed that Khaleda had misused the privilege of bail and travelled abroad during the trial violating the existing laws. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that adequate preparations were done for placing arguments in support of government appeal. Khaleda's lawyer Kayser Kamal said that BNP Chief Khaleda had submitted two concise statements on the petitions as per the Supreme Court directives. Earlier in February Khaleda was been sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The case relates to corruption over the misuse of funds in a charity named after former President Zia-ur-Rahman, the former's husband, who was assassinated in 1981.

Bangladesh Supreme Court to hear petitions against Khaleda Zia

China is resisting a British-led push at the UN Security Council to increase pressure on Myanmar to try those responsible for attacks on the Rohingya, according to a draft statement seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Back from a visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Security Council is holding negotiations on a statement that would outline steps to address the crisis from the forced exodus of 700,000 Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar.

Britain last week circulated a draft text that stressed the importance of "credible and transparent investigations" of human rights violations and urged Myanmar to hold those responsible to account.

China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta, on Monday put forward an amended statement that dropped all mention of investigations or accountability.

Myanmar has come under international scrutiny since a military campaign launched in August drove more than 700,000 Rohingya from their homes in northern Rakhine state.

China's draft statement stresses "the need to address the root causes of the issue," and calls for investment in Rakhine state to "achieve stability through development."

Diplomats said Britain, backed by France and the United States along with other council members, had rejected the proposed changes by China.

Negotiations were continuing ahead of a council meeting on Myanmar on Monday.

The 15 ambassadors last week met with traumatized refugees living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh and toured burned-out villages in Rakhine state.

The council adopted a statement in November that called on Myanmar to rein in its military, but there has been no resolution -- a stronger measure that China, as one of the veto-wielding permanent members, would likely block.

Crimes against humanity

Myanmar has said the military operation in Rakhine is aimed at rooting out extremists and has rejected accusations from the United Nations, Britain, France and the United States of "ethnic cleansing."

Four human rights groups told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York that the council should immediately ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation for crimes against humanity in Myanmar.

"It's clear that the Myanmar authorities are unable to hold themselves to account," said Param-Preet Singh, associate director for international justice at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Myanmar has refused to allow a UN fact-finding mission set up by the Human Rights Council to enter the country, and has barred UN rights expert Yanghee Lee.

HRW, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights and the Global Center for Responsibility to Protect said the council should put forward a draft resolution on referring Myanmar to the ICC even though China would likely veto such a move.

"The threat of a veto is no excuse for inaction," said Savita Pawnday, the deputy executive director of the Global Centre.

Fortify Rights, which has documented massacres, gang-rape and widespread arson attacks targeting the Rohingya in Rakhine, is calling for a global arms embargo on Myanmar and targeted sanctions.

Matthew Smith, the head of Fortify Rights, said his organization had a list of "dozens" of military and civilian officials involved in the attacks that reaches "straight to the top" of the army.&nbsp

The council has urged Myanmar to allow the safe return of the Rohingya and take steps to end decades of discrimination that they have suffered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta, on Monday put forward an amended statement that dropped all mention of investigations or accountability

China is resisting a British-led push at the UN Security Council to increase pressure on Myanmar to try those responsible for attacks on the Rohingya, according to a draft statement seen by AFP on Tuesday. Back from a visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Security Council is holding negotiations on a statement that would outline steps to address the crisis from the forced exodus of 700,000 Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar. Britain last week circulated a draft text that stressed the importance of "credible and transparent investigations" of human rights violations and urged Myanmar to hold those responsible to account. China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta, on Monday put forward an amended statement that dropped all mention of investigations or accountability. Myanmar has come under international scrutiny since a military campaign launched in August drove more than 700,000 Rohingya from their homes in northern Rakhine state. China's draft statement stresses "the need to address the root causes of the issue," and calls for investment in Rakhine state to "achieve stability through development." Diplomats said Britain, backed by France and the United States along with other council members, had rejected the proposed changes by China. Negotiations were continuing ahead of a council meeting on Myanmar on Monday. The 15 ambassadors last week met with traumatized refugees living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh and toured burned-out villages in Rakhine state. The council adopted a statement in November that called on Myanmar to rein in its military, but there has been no resolution -- a stronger measure that China, as one of the veto-wielding permanent members, would likely block. Crimes against humanity Myanmar has said the military operation in Rakhine is aimed at rooting out extremists and has rejected accusations from the United Nations, Britain, France and the United States of "ethnic cleansing." Four human rights groups told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York that the council should immediately ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation for crimes against humanity in Myanmar. "It's clear that the Myanmar authorities are unable to hold themselves to account," said Param-Preet Singh, associate director for international justice at Human Rights Watch (HRW). Myanmar has refused to allow a UN fact-finding mission set up by the Human Rights Council to enter the country, and has barred UN rights expert Yanghee Lee. HRW, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights and the Global Center for Responsibility to Protect said the council should put forward a draft resolution on referring Myanmar to the ICC even though China would likely veto such a move. "The threat of a veto is no excuse for inaction," said Savita Pawnday, the deputy executive director of the Global Centre. Fortify Rights, which has documented massacres, gang-rape and widespread arson attacks targeting the Rohingya in Rakhine, is calling for a global arms embargo on Myanmar and targeted sanctions. Matthew Smith, the head of Fortify Rights, said his organization had a list of "dozens" of military and civilian officials involved in the attacks that reaches "straight to the top" of the army. The council has urged Myanmar to allow the safe return of the Rohingya and take steps to end decades of discrimination that they have suffered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

China resists push at UN for Myanmar probe of Rohingya attacks

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that Myanmar should learn how to keep communal harmony unharmed from Bangladesh.

While addressing a meeting with Buddhist religious leaders and distinguished persons of the community on the occasion of the Buddha Purnima, she said a person belonging to any religion should get all the rights on the soil they are born.

Hasina said, "That person's rights must be preserved, and that person needs to get all sorts of facilities from the government," as quoted by Dhaka Tribune.

She also talked about how Bangladesh has sheltered Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds and is ensuring their security. She also said Bangladesh did not engage in any conflict with Myanmar over the issue and is continuing its efforts to resolve the problem through dialogue.

She concluded by saying that no religion supports inter-religious violence and anarchy. The creation of a non-violent environment was the main teaching of Lord Buddha.

Hasina said, 'That person's rights must be preserved, and that person needs to get all sorts of facilities from the government'

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that Myanmar should learn how to keep communal harmony unharmed from Bangladesh. While addressing a meeting with Buddhist religious leaders and distinguished persons of the community on the occasion of the Buddha Purnima, she said a person belonging to any religion should get all the rights on the soil they are born. Hasina said, "That person's rights must be preserved, and that person needs to get all sorts of facilities from the government," as quoted by Dhaka Tribune. She also talked about how Bangladesh has sheltered Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds and is ensuring their security. She also said Bangladesh did not engage in any conflict with Myanmar over the issue and is continuing its efforts to resolve the problem through dialogue. She concluded by saying that no religion supports inter-religious violence and anarchy. The creation of a non-violent environment was the main teaching of Lord Buddha.

PM Hasina: Myanmar needs to learn communal harmony from Bangladesh

Bangladesh has proposed a restructuring of the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Conference to pave way for inclusion of non-Muslim countries like India as an "observer state".

The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations.

"A number of countries not OIC members, have large number of Muslims as their citizens . . . There is a need to build bridges with those non-OIC countries," Bangladesh's foreign minister Mahmud Ali said as his counterparts in the group joined in their annual council called Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Dhaka.

He said the induction was needed so that a large number of Muslim population "do not remain untouched by the good work of OIC and "that is why reforms and re-structuring is critical for OIC".

The Muslims may be minority in those countries, but in terms of number they often exceed the total population of many OIC member countries, Ali told the CFM after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the meet yesterday.

Officials and analysts said the proposal was meant mainly for India where Islam is the second largest religion with Muslims constituting some 10 per cent of the global adherents of the faith.

Several OIC states countries and the secretary general of the grouping appreciated the proposal but experts said it could see opposition from Pakistan which had earlier opposed India's induction.

India, however, has fairly robust relations with most OIC member states.&nbsp

The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations

Bangladesh has proposed a restructuring of the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Conference to pave way for inclusion of non-Muslim countries like India as an "observer state". The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations. "A number of countries not OIC members, have large number of Muslims as their citizens . . . There is a need to build bridges with those non-OIC countries," Bangladesh's foreign minister Mahmud Ali said as his counterparts in the group joined in their annual council called Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Dhaka. He said the induction was needed so that a large number of Muslim population "do not remain untouched by the good work of OIC and "that is why reforms and re-structuring is critical for OIC". The Muslims may be minority in those countries, but in terms of number they often exceed the total population of many OIC member countries, Ali told the CFM after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the meet yesterday. Officials and analysts said the proposal was meant mainly for India where Islam is the second largest religion with Muslims constituting some 10 per cent of the global adherents of the faith. Several OIC states countries and the secretary general of the grouping appreciated the proposal but experts said it could see opposition from Pakistan which had earlier opposed India's induction. India, however, has fairly robust relations with most OIC member states.

Bangladesh proposes India's induction as OIC observer

PM Modi is set to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 25 in West Bengal at the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhawan in Shantiniketan.

The Bhawan will enclose a collection of books published in Bangladesh and will also include a museum to showcase the country's fight for freedom from West Pakistan.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also expected to attend the event.&nbsp;

Modi will also attend the convocation ceremony of Visva-Bharati University. This would be PM Modi's first visit to the university after assuming its " acharya" or chancellor.

The University recognises the PM of the nation as its chancellor while the President as its "paridarshaka" (visitor), who appoints the vice-chancellor.

"We received the confirmation from the respective offices of both the countries today. The prime minister will give away degrees to students during the convocation of Visva-Bharati University, while he along with Hasina will be present during the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhawan," &nbsp;officiating vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati University, Sabujkali Sen said. 
&nbsp;

The Bhawan will enclose a collection of books published in Bangladesh and will also include a museum to showcase the country's fight for freedom from West Pakistan

PM Modi is set to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 25 in West Bengal at the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhawan in Shantiniketan. The Bhawan will enclose a collection of books published in Bangladesh and will also include a museum to showcase the country's fight for freedom from West Pakistan. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also expected to attend the event. Modi will also attend the convocation ceremony of Visva-Bharati University. This would be PM Modi's first visit to the university after assuming its " acharya" or chancellor. The University recognises the PM of the nation as its chancellor while the President as its "paridarshaka" (visitor), who appoints the vice-chancellor. "We received the confirmation from the respective offices of both the countries today. The prime minister will give away degrees to students during the convocation of Visva-Bharati University, while he along with Hasina will be present during the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhawan," officiating vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati University, Sabujkali Sen said.

PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to inaugurate 'Bangladesh Bhawan' in West Bengal

Bangladesh would consider an out-of-court settlement with a bank in the Philippines over $81 million stolen from its accounts in New York by hackers who wired the money to Manila, Bangladesh central bank officials said on Thursday.

In one of the world's biggest cyber heists, the hackers stole the Bangladesh Bank money held at the New York Fed in February 2016 using fraudulent orders on the SWIFT payments system and sent it to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

From there, it disappeared into the casino industry in the Philippines. No one has been charged for the heist despite an international investigation and two years of finger-pointing among Bangladesh, Philippines, the Fed and SWIFT.

"There is an option before us to settle the issue out of court," a senior official at Bangladesh's central bank told Reuters.

The official, who declined to be identified, cited as a precedent an out-of-court settlement in February reached by Ecuador's Banco del Austro and Wells Fargo over a 2015 cyber heist.

Bangladesh's Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Thursday met Carlos Dominguez, Finance Secretary of the Philippines, on the sidelines of a four-day annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Manila to discuss the cyber heist, said two senior central bank officials close to the issue.

Bangladesh is yet to take legal action but had planned a suit to recover $66 million. Around $15 million has been recovered from a Manila junket operator, a job that involves marketing casinos to VIPs.

"We will try for all possible options to recover our stolen money," the officials added. There was no immediate comment from Dominguez or Rizal bank in Manila.

Bangladesh is yet to take legal action but had planned a suit to recover $66 million

Bangladesh would consider an out-of-court settlement with a bank in the Philippines over $81 million stolen from its accounts in New York by hackers who wired the money to Manila, Bangladesh central bank officials said on Thursday. In one of the world's biggest cyber heists, the hackers stole the Bangladesh Bank money held at the New York Fed in February 2016 using fraudulent orders on the SWIFT payments system and sent it to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. From there, it disappeared into the casino industry in the Philippines. No one has been charged for the heist despite an international investigation and two years of finger-pointing among Bangladesh, Philippines, the Fed and SWIFT. "There is an option before us to settle the issue out of court," a senior official at Bangladesh's central bank told Reuters. The official, who declined to be identified, cited as a precedent an out-of-court settlement in February reached by Ecuador's Banco del Austro and Wells Fargo over a 2015 cyber heist. Bangladesh's Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Thursday met Carlos Dominguez, Finance Secretary of the Philippines, on the sidelines of a four-day annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Manila to discuss the cyber heist, said two senior central bank officials close to the issue. Bangladesh is yet to take legal action but had planned a suit to recover $66 million. Around $15 million has been recovered from a Manila junket operator, a job that involves marketing casinos to VIPs. "We will try for all possible options to recover our stolen money," the officials added. There was no immediate comment from Dominguez or Rizal bank in Manila.

Bangladesh open to out-of-court settlement over $81 million cyber heist

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked India, China, Russia and Japan to collectively resolve the Rohingya crises.

She said she expects the countries to play a major role in resolving the crises.

Bangladesh PM raised the issue on her meet with UNSC delegation President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra.

She also urged the international community to continue putting up strong pressure on the Myanmar government to take back their Rohingya nationals from Bangladesh.&nbsp

"Myanmar should act in accordance with the agreement they have signed with Bangladesh (regarding the repatriation of the Rohingyas)," she said.

A Bangladesh media reports "Myanmar says its neighbour has only handed back 8,000 repatriation forms so far, many of them incomplete, delaying the return process."

According to the UN records, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape the violence and atrocities that prevails in Myanmar against the minorities.

The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community.

Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide.

The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing. The Buddhists maintain that the security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 to retaliate the Rohingya militant attacks. 
&nbsp

She also urged the international community to continue putting up strong pressure on the Myanmar government to take back their Rohingya nationals from Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked India, China, Russia and Japan to collectively resolve the Rohingya crises. She said she expects the countries to play a major role in resolving the crises. Bangladesh PM raised the issue on her meet with UNSC delegation President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra. She also urged the international community to continue putting up strong pressure on the Myanmar government to take back their Rohingya nationals from Bangladesh. "Myanmar should act in accordance with the agreement they have signed with Bangladesh (regarding the repatriation of the Rohingyas)," she said. A Bangladesh media reports "Myanmar says its neighbour has only handed back 8,000 repatriation forms so far, many of them incomplete, delaying the return process." According to the UN records, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape the violence and atrocities that prevails in Myanmar against the minorities. The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community. Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country. The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide. The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing. The Buddhists maintain that the security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 to retaliate the Rohingya militant attacks.

Bangladesh PM urges India, China, Japan, Russia to help in resolving Rohingya crises

India has consolidated their position at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team Rankings following the annual update.

In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent.

India has stretched their lead over South Africa from four to 13 points after gaining four points to reach an aggregate of 125 while South Africa have lost five points and slipped to 112.

South Africa is, however, still comfortably ahead of the remaining sides.

Australia is placed third with 106 points after gaining four points following the update, taking back the position from New Zealand, who had overtaken them at the last cut-off date of April 3.

The change in positions saw New Zealand assure themselves of two lakh dollars for finishing third. India and South Africa had won 1 million dollars and five lakh dollars, respectively for finishing first and second at the cut-off date.

After the update, New Zealand remains on 102 points while England has inched closer, reaching 98 after gaining one point.

In another interesting move, Bangladesh has moved ahead of the West Indies, who are in ninth position for the first time ever.

The West Indies have lost five points and are now standing on 67 points while Bangladesh has gained four points to reach 75, eight points clear of the West Indies.

Sri Lanka continues to remain at sixth position after losing one point while Zimbabwe has gained one point to reach two. The table will see new additions in the form of Afghanistan and Ireland after they have played their first Tests following their Full Membership status.

Ireland is due to play their inaugural Test against Pakistan in Malahide, Dublin, from May 11 while Afghanistan's first Test will be against India in Bengaluru from June 18.

In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent

India has consolidated their position at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team Rankings following the annual update. In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent. India has stretched their lead over South Africa from four to 13 points after gaining four points to reach an aggregate of 125 while South Africa have lost five points and slipped to 112. South Africa is, however, still comfortably ahead of the remaining sides. Australia is placed third with 106 points after gaining four points following the update, taking back the position from New Zealand, who had overtaken them at the last cut-off date of April 3. The change in positions saw New Zealand assure themselves of two lakh dollars for finishing third. India and South Africa had won 1 million dollars and five lakh dollars, respectively for finishing first and second at the cut-off date. After the update, New Zealand remains on 102 points while England has inched closer, reaching 98 after gaining one point. In another interesting move, Bangladesh has moved ahead of the West Indies, who are in ninth position for the first time ever. The West Indies have lost five points and are now standing on 67 points while Bangladesh has gained four points to reach 75, eight points clear of the West Indies. Sri Lanka continues to remain at sixth position after losing one point while Zimbabwe has gained one point to reach two. The table will see new additions in the form of Afghanistan and Ireland after they have played their first Tests following their Full Membership status. Ireland is due to play their inaugural Test against Pakistan in Malahide, Dublin, from May 11 while Afghanistan's first Test will be against India in Bengaluru from June 18.

India consolidate top spot in ICC Test team rankings

The United Nations Security Council members, who met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during their mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, will today visit Rakhine state, the epicentre of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

The council is continuing its mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, taking a first-hand look at the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled across the border to escape violence.

The delegation of diplomats from the council's 15 member countries arrived yesterday in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, holding meetings with Suu Kyi as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces General Min Aung Hlaing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. The council mission also met with civil society, parliamentarians and government representatives in the capital of Myanmar.&nbsp

"Ambassadors also met with civil society, parliamentarians and government representatives. The council members will today fly to Rakhine state, the epicentre of the mass displacement crisis, which has been caused by a recurring cycle of clashes between mainly Buddhist residents in the state, and Rohingya Muslims who have also lived there for decades," the spokesperson said.

In Rakhine, the delegation is expected to meet local government representatives and civil society.&nbsp

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 671,000 Rohingya refugees have fled targeted violence and serious human rights violations in Myanmar since last August.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland as his new special envoy on Myanmar, to strengthen the world body's efforts to assist Myanmar's peace and reconciliation process.&nbsp

The UN spokesperson added that over the weekend, the Council delegation visited Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, where they listened to testimony from refugees at the Kutupalong Camp. Before departing for Myanmar early on Monday, the delegation met with Hasina in Dhaka.

The council is continuing its mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, taking a first-hand look at the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas

The United Nations Security Council members, who met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during their mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, will today visit Rakhine state, the epicentre of the Rohingya refugee crisis. The council is continuing its mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, taking a first-hand look at the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled across the border to escape violence. The delegation of diplomats from the council's 15 member countries arrived yesterday in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, holding meetings with Suu Kyi as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces General Min Aung Hlaing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. The council mission also met with civil society, parliamentarians and government representatives in the capital of Myanmar. "Ambassadors also met with civil society, parliamentarians and government representatives. The council members will today fly to Rakhine state, the epicentre of the mass displacement crisis, which has been caused by a recurring cycle of clashes between mainly Buddhist residents in the state, and Rohingya Muslims who have also lived there for decades," the spokesperson said. In Rakhine, the delegation is expected to meet local government representatives and civil society. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 671,000 Rohingya refugees have fled targeted violence and serious human rights violations in Myanmar since last August. Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland as his new special envoy on Myanmar, to strengthen the world body's efforts to assist Myanmar's peace and reconciliation process. The UN spokesperson added that over the weekend, the Council delegation visited Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, where they listened to testimony from refugees at the Kutupalong Camp. Before departing for Myanmar early on Monday, the delegation met with Hasina in Dhaka.

UNSC members to visit Rakhine state today

Myanmar's government leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with United Nations Security Council envoys on Monday over the plight of nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown, pledging to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended the meeting.

During the nearly hour-long meeting, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also noted Myanmar's difficulties transitioning to rule of law after decades of military dictatorship, said diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Myanmar civilian government spokesman Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment.

Myanmar National Security Advisor Thaung Tun said Suu Kyi has always insisted on the rule of law.

"She has always said nobody is above the law and we intend to implement that. She told the Security Council members 'please bring to our notice any infringement of these laws and we will do whatever is necessary to take the action'," he told Reuters on Monday after the meeting.

Earlier this month, Suu Kyi - marking two years since her party swept to power in a historic vote - said in a televised speech that Myanmar was "struggling to develop politics, society and economy."

Suu Kyi's civilian government has no control over the military. The council envoys also met behind closed doors for two hours with military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing in the country's capital Naypyitaw.

Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Rakhine State in August last year sparked a military operation that Myanmar said was a legitimate response. Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale.

The Security Council envoys are due to travel to Rakhine on Tuesday.

'Whatever is necessary'

Britain, the United States and others have denounced the military crackdown as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked it to rule on whether it has jurisdiction over the deportations of Rohingyas to Bangladesh, a possible crime against humanity. Suu Kyi's government expressed "serious concern" over the move.

The US government is conducting an intensive examination of alleged atrocities against the Rohingya that could be used to prosecute Myanmar's military for crimes against humanity, US officials told Reuters.

Earlier on Monday the council envoys met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the country's capital Dhaka, who asked them to press Myanmar to take back "their citizens."

"That's what we want," Hasina told reporters. "They want to go back to their own country. So the Security Council can play a very pivotal role."

UN supervised return?

Hasina added that the refugees should return "under UN supervision where security and safety should be ensured". When asked if UN supervision meant the deployment of peacekeepers, Hasina said: "Not exactly, well, that the UN will decide".

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow.&nbsp

"We are ready and willing but it will take two to tango," Thaung Tun told Reuters. "I hope that (the Security Council) will see we are really serious on trying to find a solution for this."

Suu Kyi's office also said in a statement released on Monday after the meeting that cooperation was needed from Bangladesh on the repatriation of refugees.

The envoys visited camps on Sunday, where distraught refugees pleaded for help ahead of the coming monsoon season.

Kuwait's UN Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, one of the envoys, told Hasina the Security Council wanted to "send a clear strong message ... that we're determined to end this humanitarian crisis".

The Security Council asked Myanmar in November to ensure no "further excessive use of military force" and to allow "freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all".

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare. Many in Myanmar regard Rohingya as illegal immigrants from mostly Muslim Bangladesh.

Myanmar's government leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with United Nations Security Council envoys on Monday over the plight of nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown, pledging to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended the meeting

Myanmar's government leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with United Nations Security Council envoys on Monday over the plight of nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown, pledging to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended the meeting. During the nearly hour-long meeting, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also noted Myanmar's difficulties transitioning to rule of law after decades of military dictatorship, said diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity. Myanmar civilian government spokesman Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment. Myanmar National Security Advisor Thaung Tun said Suu Kyi has always insisted on the rule of law. "She has always said nobody is above the law and we intend to implement that. She told the Security Council members 'please bring to our notice any infringement of these laws and we will do whatever is necessary to take the action'," he told Reuters on Monday after the meeting. Earlier this month, Suu Kyi - marking two years since her party swept to power in a historic vote - said in a televised speech that Myanmar was "struggling to develop politics, society and economy." Suu Kyi's civilian government has no control over the military. The council envoys also met behind closed doors for two hours with military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing in the country's capital Naypyitaw. Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Rakhine State in August last year sparked a military operation that Myanmar said was a legitimate response. Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. The Security Council envoys are due to travel to Rakhine on Tuesday. 'Whatever is necessary' Britain, the United States and others have denounced the military crackdown as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked it to rule on whether it has jurisdiction over the deportations of Rohingyas to Bangladesh, a possible crime against humanity. Suu Kyi's government expressed "serious concern" over the move. The US government is conducting an intensive examination of alleged atrocities against the Rohingya that could be used to prosecute Myanmar's military for crimes against humanity, US officials told Reuters. Earlier on Monday the council envoys met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the country's capital Dhaka, who asked them to press Myanmar to take back "their citizens." "That's what we want," Hasina told reporters. "They want to go back to their own country. So the Security Council can play a very pivotal role." UN supervised return? Hasina added that the refugees should return "under UN supervision where security and safety should be ensured". When asked if UN supervision meant the deployment of peacekeepers, Hasina said: "Not exactly, well, that the UN will decide". Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow. "We are ready and willing but it will take two to tango," Thaung Tun told Reuters. "I hope that (the Security Council) will see we are really serious on trying to find a solution for this." Suu Kyi's office also said in a statement released on Monday after the meeting that cooperation was needed from Bangladesh on the repatriation of refugees. The envoys visited camps on Sunday, where distraught refugees pleaded for help ahead of the coming monsoon season. Kuwait's UN Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, one of the envoys, told Hasina the Security Council wanted to "send a clear strong message ... that we're determined to end this humanitarian crisis". The Security Council asked Myanmar in November to ensure no "further excessive use of military force" and to allow "freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all". Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare. Many in Myanmar regard Rohingya as illegal immigrants from mostly Muslim Bangladesh.

UN envoys meet with Myanmar leader over refugee crisis

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh made emotional pleas to the UN&nbspSecurity Council on Sunday for help to return safely to their homes in neighboring Myanmar and for justice over the reason they fled - accusations of killings, rapes and arson.

During a visit to an unclaimed strip of territory between the two states dubbed no-man's land, several tearful women and girls threw themselves at British UN&nbspAmbassador Karen Pierce as they recounted what had happened to them.

"It shows the scale of the challenge as we try as a Security Council to find some way through that enables these poor people to go home," Pierce said. "The sad thing is there's nothing we can do right today that will make their distress any less."

The Security Council envoys - who will travel to Myanmar on Monday and meet with its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi - also visited a dry and dusty Kutupalong refugee camp that housed many of the nearly 700,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar's Rakhine state.

"It's quite overwhelming. Obviously the scale of this camp is unlike anything I've ever seen," said deputy US&nbspAmbassador to the United Nations Kelley Currie. "It is going to be a disaster when the rains come."

United Nations officials and aid groups have voiced concern that the coming monsoon season will worsen the humanitarian situation. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are living in temporary shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulins at Kutupalong, many on steep hills and in low-lying areas likely to be flooded.

Myanmar's Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye, who visited the camps in Bangladesh earlier this month, expressed concern about "very poor conditions."

Justice demand

The refugee crisis exploded about eight months ago when the Myanmar military launched a crackdown over Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts. The United States, Britain, United Nations and others described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the minority mainly Muslim Rohingya, a charge Myanmar denies.

Hundreds of refugees lined a road in Kutupalong camp on Sunday with signs that read "we demand justice" and "protected return to protected homeland."

"We are standing here to demand justice as they (Myanmar military) have killed our men and tortured our women so much, so we are compelled to seek justice for those abuses," Rohingya refugee Sajida Begum told Reuters.

Several female refugees who met with council envoys accused Myanmar troops of gang-raping them, attacking their young children and killing their husbands. Myanmar has said that its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents.

"This is very complicated issue, and it's related with history, with ethnicity, with religions," Chinese deputy UN&nbspAmbassador Wu Haitao told reporters, in response to a question about whether China and Russia were preventing the council from considering a resolution on Myanmar.

"There is no easy answer but if we all work together I think we can find a way," he said.

However, while the Security Council is united on travelling to the region, diplomats said they expect Myanmar ally China and Russia - both veto-wielding powers on the council - to resist any push for stronger council action, such as sanctions or a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court.

"We don't have any magic solution in the Security Council," deputy Russian UN&nbspAmbassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters in response to a question about whether the council would consider itself responsible for failing to address the crisis.

"The issue is still for us to promote bilateral ways to resolve this issue. We will try to convince both governments ... to engage in constructive negotiations, discussion," he said.

The council adopted a formal statement in November - a move that requires consensus by the 15-member body - that asked Myanmar to ensure no "further excessive use of military force" and to allow "freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all."

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to many basic services such as healthcare and education. They are considered illegal immigrants from mainly Muslim Bangladesh.

The refugee crisis exploded about eight months ago when the Myanmar military launched a crackdown over Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh made emotional pleas to the UN&nbspSecurity Council on Sunday for help to return safely to their homes in neighboring Myanmar and for justice over the reason they fled - accusations of killings, rapes and arson. During a visit to an unclaimed strip of territory between the two states dubbed no-man's land, several tearful women and girls threw themselves at British UN&nbspAmbassador Karen Pierce as they recounted what had happened to them. "It shows the scale of the challenge as we try as a Security Council to find some way through that enables these poor people to go home," Pierce said. "The sad thing is there's nothing we can do right today that will make their distress any less." The Security Council envoys - who will travel to Myanmar on Monday and meet with its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi - also visited a dry and dusty Kutupalong refugee camp that housed many of the nearly 700,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar's Rakhine state. "It's quite overwhelming. Obviously the scale of this camp is unlike anything I've ever seen," said deputy US&nbspAmbassador to the United Nations Kelley Currie. "It is going to be a disaster when the rains come." United Nations officials and aid groups have voiced concern that the coming monsoon season will worsen the humanitarian situation. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are living in temporary shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulins at Kutupalong, many on steep hills and in low-lying areas likely to be flooded. Myanmar's Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye, who visited the camps in Bangladesh earlier this month, expressed concern about "very poor conditions." Justice demand The refugee crisis exploded about eight months ago when the Myanmar military launched a crackdown over Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts. The United States, Britain, United Nations and others described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the minority mainly Muslim Rohingya, a charge Myanmar denies. Hundreds of refugees lined a road in Kutupalong camp on Sunday with signs that read "we demand justice" and "protected return to protected homeland." "We are standing here to demand justice as they (Myanmar military) have killed our men and tortured our women so much, so we are compelled to seek justice for those abuses," Rohingya refugee Sajida Begum told Reuters. Several female refugees who met with council envoys accused Myanmar troops of gang-raping them, attacking their young children and killing their husbands. Myanmar has said that its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents. "This is very complicated issue, and it's related with history, with ethnicity, with religions," Chinese deputy UN&nbspAmbassador Wu Haitao told reporters, in response to a question about whether China and Russia were preventing the council from considering a resolution on Myanmar. "There is no easy answer but if we all work together I think we can find a way," he said. However, while the Security Council is united on travelling to the region, diplomats said they expect Myanmar ally China and Russia - both veto-wielding powers on the council - to resist any push for stronger council action, such as sanctions or a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court. "We don't have any magic solution in the Security Council," deputy Russian UN&nbspAmbassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters in response to a question about whether the council would consider itself responsible for failing to address the crisis. "The issue is still for us to promote bilateral ways to resolve this issue. We will try to convince both governments ... to engage in constructive negotiations, discussion," he said. The council adopted a formal statement in November - a move that requires consensus by the 15-member body - that asked Myanmar to ensure no "further excessive use of military force" and to allow "freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all." Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to many basic services such as healthcare and education. They are considered illegal immigrants from mainly Muslim Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugees tearfully plead for UN Security Council help

Rohingya refugees at a camp in Bangladesh said on Saturday they were eagerly awaiting the visit by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation which is studying the crisis, according to reports by Reuters.

A 15-member UNSC panel is visiting them refugees which, they hope,&nbsp;would help them get Myanmar citizenship as well as regain property and assets they left behind when they fled to Bangladesh

They are also seeking justice for the violence they suffered at the hands of the Myanmar military and said would only return to their homes across the border if their demands were guaranteed by an international body, a Reuters report said.

The UNSC group will visit refugee camps and meet Bangladeshi officials before heading to Myanmar where they are scheduled to visit areas in Rakhine state where the refugees are from.

Myanmar has faced international criticism over its actions towards Rohingya Muslims that have sent nearly 700,000 members of the minority community fleeing to Bangladesh. The United Nations, United States, Britain and others have described the operation as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar has denied.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

The refugees said they hoped that the 15-member UNSC panel would help them get Myanmar citizenship as well as regain property and assets they left behind when they fled to Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugees at a camp in Bangladesh said on Saturday they were eagerly awaiting the visit by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation which is studying the crisis, according to reports by Reuters. A 15-member UNSC panel is visiting them refugees which, they hope, would help them get Myanmar citizenship as well as regain property and assets they left behind when they fled to Bangladesh They are also seeking justice for the violence they suffered at the hands of the Myanmar military and said would only return to their homes across the border if their demands were guaranteed by an international body, a Reuters report said. The UNSC group will visit refugee camps and meet Bangladeshi officials before heading to Myanmar where they are scheduled to visit areas in Rakhine state where the refugees are from. Myanmar has faced international criticism over its actions towards Rohingya Muslims that have sent nearly 700,000 members of the minority community fleeing to Bangladesh. The United Nations, United States, Britain and others have described the operation as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar has denied. (With inputs from Reuters)

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh wait for UNSC visit

The United Nations Security Council, after visiting the Rohingya camp here on Sunday, said that there was no magic solution.

UN Security Council envoys began a four-day visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday to see firsthand the aftermath of a Myanmar military crackdown that Britain, the United States and others have denounced as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

The UNSC team comprising of delegates from five permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the US, and 10 other non-permanent members visited the Kutupalong refugee camp at Tombru border in Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari to assess the plight of the refugees there.

They are due to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and travel to Rakhine state, where the violence erupted eight months ago. Myanmar denies the accusations of ethnic cleansing.

The Rohingya refugees arrived at the location, holding several posters and demanding safe repatriation back to Myanmar.

As per the Daily Star, at least 700,000 Rohingya people have fled to Myanmar since violence escalated following a military crackdown in Rakhine state back in August 2017.

The visit puts a global spotlight back on the crisis amid warnings by the United Nations, aid groups and Myanmar’s panel of international advisers on Rohingya issues that the coming monsoon season would likely worsen the humanitarian situation.

“We have to push to see how we can speed up the process of the implementation of the bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said Kuwait’s U.N. Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi.

Bangladesh has earlier assured assistance to the UN Security Council to help in the repatriation process.

Earlier on April 16, the Myanmar government said in a Facebook post that a family of five had returned to the country from the border area between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

This claim was rejected by a Europe-based website named Rohingya Blogger which called it to be a deception. 
&nbsp;

The UNSC team comprising of delegates from five permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the US, and 10 other non-permanent members visited the Kutupalong refugee camp at Tombru border in Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari to assess the plight of the refugees there

The United Nations Security Council, after visiting the Rohingya camp here on Sunday, said that there was no magic solution. UN Security Council envoys began a four-day visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday to see firsthand the aftermath of a Myanmar military crackdown that Britain, the United States and others have denounced as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims. The UNSC team comprising of delegates from five permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the US, and 10 other non-permanent members visited the Kutupalong refugee camp at Tombru border in Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari to assess the plight of the refugees there. They are due to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and travel to Rakhine state, where the violence erupted eight months ago. Myanmar denies the accusations of ethnic cleansing. The Rohingya refugees arrived at the location, holding several posters and demanding safe repatriation back to Myanmar. As per the Daily Star, at least 700,000 Rohingya people have fled to Myanmar since violence escalated following a military crackdown in Rakhine state back in August 2017. The visit puts a global spotlight back on the crisis amid warnings by the United Nations, aid groups and Myanmar’s panel of international advisers on Rohingya issues that the coming monsoon season would likely worsen the humanitarian situation. “We have to push to see how we can speed up the process of the implementation of the bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said Kuwait’s U.N. Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi. Bangladesh has earlier assured assistance to the UN Security Council to help in the repatriation process. Earlier on April 16, the Myanmar government said in a Facebook post that a family of five had returned to the country from the border area between Bangladesh and Myanmar. This claim was rejected by a Europe-based website named Rohingya Blogger which called it to be a deception.

UN Security Council puts spotlight on Rohingya refugee crisis, says no magic solution

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh.&nbsp;

The UN records states that about 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in order to escape violence in their country's Rakhine State.

The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community.

Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

To keep a check on the potential threat that looms over the Rohingya refugees, the United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- has appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides.

"We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred. We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved,"&nbsp;said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar.

The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working together with the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar – the world's biggest refugee settlement.

Only nine per cent of a $ 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, $ 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost $ 151 million.

The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide.

The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh. The UN records states that about 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in order to escape violence in their country's Rakhine State. The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community. Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country. To keep a check on the potential threat that looms over the Rohingya refugees, the United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- has appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides. "We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred. We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved," said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar. The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working together with the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar – the world's biggest refugee settlement. Only nine per cent of a $ 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, $ 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost $ 151 million. The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide. The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks. (With inputs from PTI)

UN urges urgent financial support for Rohingya refugees to tackle cyclone, monsoon

The UN has said that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as monsoon and cyclone seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh.

According to the UN estimates, nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 25 last year when the army launched a military crackdown.

Myanmar does not recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

The United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides.

Without new funding, tens of thousands of people in the camps, fleeing violence triggered in Myanmar last August, will be at risk, the IOM said.

"We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred," said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar.

"We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved," he said.

Almost a million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar under tarpaulins, on steep, sandy slopes&nbsp25,000 of whom are said to be at the highest risk of landslides.

Without aid, numerous refugees will have to remain in these hazardous locations and hundreds of thousands of others will also be at risk if roads become impassible, blocking access to aid supplies and medical services.

"Tarp stocks are also rapidly running out and the IOM, which oversees shelter distribution, reports that by mid-May supplies will fall below critical levels," McCue said.

He said that without more funding, neither new shelters nor replacements would be available to those who lost homes during storms.

He also pointed out that other risks included safe water supply systems, which if collapsed could put hundreds of thousands of refugees in jeopardy of waterborne diseases.

Only nine per cent of a USD 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, USD 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost USD 151 million.

Aid staff on the ground are working to improve shelters, secure key access roads and have emergency response services ready should the worst happens, "but the harsh truth is that we cannot keep doing that if we do not have the funds," McCue said.

The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working alongside the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar&nbspthe world's biggest refugee settlement.

"If significant funding is not secured in the next few weeks to keep operations running, there is a high likelihood that many children, women and men may die, when they could have otherwise been saved," McCue said.

The Security Council members are making their way to the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the overall population of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is currently estimated to be over one million.

New refugees are still arriving, with some 8,000 new arrivals since January 2018, he said.

The latest round of food distribution reached over 470,000 people and humanitarian partners on the ground also conduct protection monitoring missions to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, Dujarric said.

To date, the joint response plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, launched in mid-March, is only nine per cent funded.

It requests USD 951 million to help respond to the needs of some 1.3 million people, both Rohingya refugees and vulnerable members of the host community, until December 2018.

The UN described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar, however, rejects the charge, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks.

 
&nbsp

Almost a million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar under tarpaulins, on steep, sandy slopes 25,000 of whom are said to be at the highest risk of landslides

The UN has said that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as monsoon and cyclone seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh. According to the UN estimates, nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 25 last year when the army launched a military crackdown. Myanmar does not recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country. The United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides. Without new funding, tens of thousands of people in the camps, fleeing violence triggered in Myanmar last August, will be at risk, the IOM said. "We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred," said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar. "We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved," he said. Almost a million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar under tarpaulins, on steep, sandy slopes&nbsp25,000 of whom are said to be at the highest risk of landslides. Without aid, numerous refugees will have to remain in these hazardous locations and hundreds of thousands of others will also be at risk if roads become impassible, blocking access to aid supplies and medical services. "Tarp stocks are also rapidly running out and the IOM, which oversees shelter distribution, reports that by mid-May supplies will fall below critical levels," McCue said. He said that without more funding, neither new shelters nor replacements would be available to those who lost homes during storms. He also pointed out that other risks included safe water supply systems, which if collapsed could put hundreds of thousands of refugees in jeopardy of waterborne diseases. Only nine per cent of a USD 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, USD 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost USD 151 million. Aid staff on the ground are working to improve shelters, secure key access roads and have emergency response services ready should the worst happens, "but the harsh truth is that we cannot keep doing that if we do not have the funds," McCue said. The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working alongside the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar&nbspthe world's biggest refugee settlement. "If significant funding is not secured in the next few weeks to keep operations running, there is a high likelihood that many children, women and men may die, when they could have otherwise been saved," McCue said. The Security Council members are making their way to the region. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the overall population of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is currently estimated to be over one million. New refugees are still arriving, with some 8,000 new arrivals since January 2018, he said. The latest round of food distribution reached over 470,000 people and humanitarian partners on the ground also conduct protection monitoring missions to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, Dujarric said. To date, the joint response plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, launched in mid-March, is only nine per cent funded. It requests USD 951 million to help respond to the needs of some 1.3 million people, both Rohingya refugees and vulnerable members of the host community, until December 2018. The UN described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide. Buddhist-majority Myanmar, however, rejects the charge, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks.

Monsoon threatens tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees: UN

India has handed over to Bangladesh a Mi-4 helicopter and two PT-76 tanks as part of the 1971 Liberation War memorabilia, officials said on Thursday in Dhaka.

"The gifts are to be showcased at the Bangladesh army and air force museums," a defence ministry spokesman said.

He said the helicopter and the tanks were part of gifts given by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her Bangladesh visit last year.

The memorabilia included 25 weapons like pistol, rifles, machine guns and mortars alongside a large number of artefact, historical photographs, archival audio and video clipping, maps and battle records related to the 1971 Liberation War.

"While most items of memorabilia have been handed over to the Bangladesh National Museum the larger items ie PT-76 Tanks and Mi 4 Helicopter are now being handed over to the Bangladesh Army and Air Force," Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.

The light amphibious PT-76 tanks were used by the Indian Army's armoured regiments in 1971 which played a crucial role in crossing rivers and water bodies during the war.

Analysts said these tanks often outclassed a much larger force and technically superior M34 Chafee tanks, used by the Pakistani Army in the war.

The Mi-4 transport helicopter was extensively utilised for heliborne operations by the India-Bangladesh joint forces in the eastern sector confirming early defeat of Pakistani troops in 1971.

Indian air force earlier gifted Bangladesh one Hunter jet fighter, one Dakota transport air craft ahead of this helicopter while India's navy previously gifted memorabilia of its INS Vikrant, models of ships that took part in the war and archival photographs and its army gifts included six 3.7 Howitzer Guns.&nbsp

India backed Bangladesh's Liberation War, which began after the sudden crackdown at midnight past on March 25, 1971 in the erstwhile East Pakistan by Pakistani troops.

On December 16, the same year as Pakistan conceded defeat and its troops unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising the freedom fighters and the Indian Army.&nbsp

'The gifts are to be showcased at the Bangladesh army and air force museums' a defence ministry spokesman said

India has handed over to Bangladesh a Mi-4 helicopter and two PT-76 tanks as part of the 1971 Liberation War memorabilia, officials said on Thursday in Dhaka. "The gifts are to be showcased at the Bangladesh army and air force museums," a defence ministry spokesman said. He said the helicopter and the tanks were part of gifts given by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her Bangladesh visit last year. The memorabilia included 25 weapons like pistol, rifles, machine guns and mortars alongside a large number of artefact, historical photographs, archival audio and video clipping, maps and battle records related to the 1971 Liberation War. "While most items of memorabilia have been handed over to the Bangladesh National Museum the larger items ie PT-76 Tanks and Mi 4 Helicopter are now being handed over to the Bangladesh Army and Air Force," Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said. The light amphibious PT-76 tanks were used by the Indian Army's armoured regiments in 1971 which played a crucial role in crossing rivers and water bodies during the war. Analysts said these tanks often outclassed a much larger force and technically superior M34 Chafee tanks, used by the Pakistani Army in the war. The Mi-4 transport helicopter was extensively utilised for heliborne operations by the India-Bangladesh joint forces in the eastern sector confirming early defeat of Pakistani troops in 1971. Indian air force earlier gifted Bangladesh one Hunter jet fighter, one Dakota transport air craft ahead of this helicopter while India's navy previously gifted memorabilia of its INS Vikrant, models of ships that took part in the war and archival photographs and its army gifts included six 3.7 Howitzer Guns. India backed Bangladesh's Liberation War, which began after the sudden crackdown at midnight past on March 25, 1971 in the erstwhile East Pakistan by Pakistani troops. On December 16, the same year as Pakistan conceded defeat and its troops unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising the freedom fighters and the Indian Army.

India hands over helicopter, tanks to Bangladesh as 1971 memorabilia

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that he had spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to resume the stalled SAARC process by sorting out their differences.

Unveiling a book titled 'Effectiveness of SAARC and Regional Conference' at a function organised by the Federal Parliament Secretariat here yesterday, Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region.

The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit was to be held in Islamabad in 2016 but after a major terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances" and stepped up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.

The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate. There has been no progress since then.

Oli, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to India and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his trip to Nepal recently, had discussed about the need to restart the SAARC process.&nbsp;

"Nepal is the current chair of SAARC. There is a misunderstanding among some members. However, it is necessary to create cordial environment among them," Oli said, stressing the need for sorting out the differences between SAARC neighbours.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, while expressing concern over the delay in convening the biennial summit, urged all the member states to take the SAARC process forward actively and effectively.

SAARC Summits are usually held biennially, hosted by a member state in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association.

The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu.

Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that he had spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to resume the stalled SAARC process by sorting out their differences. Unveiling a book titled 'Effectiveness of SAARC and Regional Conference' at a function organised by the Federal Parliament Secretariat here yesterday, Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region. The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit was to be held in Islamabad in 2016 but after a major terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances" and stepped up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate. There has been no progress since then. Oli, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to India and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his trip to Nepal recently, had discussed about the need to restart the SAARC process. "Nepal is the current chair of SAARC. There is a misunderstanding among some members. However, it is necessary to create cordial environment among them," Oli said, stressing the need for sorting out the differences between SAARC neighbours. Speaker of the House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, while expressing concern over the delay in convening the biennial summit, urged all the member states to take the SAARC process forward actively and effectively. SAARC Summits are usually held biennially, hosted by a member state in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association. The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu.

Oli speaks to prime ministers of India, Pakistan to resume stalled SAARC process

Bangladesh is in no rush to sign a free trade agreement with China, a senior Bangladeshi trade official said on Tuesday, though Chinese officials said it would help the poor South Asian country cut its deficit with its largest trading partner.

China is expected to host talks in June, having first floated the idea of an FTA in 2016. Bangladesh does not have an FTA with any trade partner.&nbsp

“We have no intention to sign such an agreement right now and we are not in a hurry, but we may continue to discuss this,” Shubhashish Bose, secretary of the commerce ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Bangladesh mainly imports machinery, cotton, consumer products and chemical and chemical products from China, while exporting jute, jute products, readymade garments and processed leather the other way.

Li Guangjun, economic and commercial counselor at the China`s embassy in Dhaka, said an agreement would help Bangladesh reduce its deficit, as exports to China only accounted for $1 billion of the $16 billion annual trade between the two countries.

“We would like to see more exports from Bangladesh and for that it needs to become more competitive,” Li told Reuters.

“We believe if Bangladesh signs a free trade agreement, it would then reduce this huge trade gap,” he said, adding that it would lead to more Chinese investment in Bangladesh, and more diversity in Bangladesh`s exports.

Both officials said studies were needed to weigh the pros and cons.

Bangladesh does not have an FTA with any trade partner.

Bangladesh is in no rush to sign a free trade agreement with China, a senior Bangladeshi trade official said on Tuesday, though Chinese officials said it would help the poor South Asian country cut its deficit with its largest trading partner. China is expected to host talks in June, having first floated the idea of an FTA in 2016. Bangladesh does not have an FTA with any trade partner. “We have no intention to sign such an agreement right now and we are not in a hurry, but we may continue to discuss this,” Shubhashish Bose, secretary of the commerce ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday. Bangladesh mainly imports machinery, cotton, consumer products and chemical and chemical products from China, while exporting jute, jute products, readymade garments and processed leather the other way. Li Guangjun, economic and commercial counselor at the China`s embassy in Dhaka, said an agreement would help Bangladesh reduce its deficit, as exports to China only accounted for $1 billion of the $16 billion annual trade between the two countries. “We would like to see more exports from Bangladesh and for that it needs to become more competitive,” Li told Reuters. “We believe if Bangladesh signs a free trade agreement, it would then reduce this huge trade gap,” he said, adding that it would lead to more Chinese investment in Bangladesh, and more diversity in Bangladesh`s exports. Both officials said studies were needed to weigh the pros and cons.

No intention of signing FTA with China right now: Bangladesh

Government representatives of Bangladesh, India and Nepal launched the tri-nation trial bus service in Dhaka on Monday. Two buses from Dhaka set off for Kathmandu and would transit through Siliguri.

The bus service is being tested under the Motor Vehicle Agreement signed in June 2015 as part of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) initiative of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation.

The journey will not cover Bhutan as the country requires a parliamentary nod to ratify the motor vehicle agreement. Bhutan however, has asked the three countries to go ahead with the bus service.

The buses would travel 1,200 kilometres over the next three days and arrive at Kathmandu on April 26, said Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation.

"Our journey today would survey how we can make things easy for passengers in the future. All the three countries will work together so that this route can be made feasible," Bhuiyan told WION.

Some passengers feared that the long journey could become a disincentive for travellers. Officials said if the visa procedures and travel requirements can be made easier, more passengers would feel encouraged to use the bus service.

A passenger protocol will be signed later in Delhi by the transport secretaries of the respective countries but a date has not been fixed yet. There will also be discussion about protocols for cargo vehicles.

"Protocols normally provide the visa procedures, technical specifications of the buses, how the buses will run after getting route permits, driver license and travel documents and passenger documents that would be required," said Govinda Prasad Kharel, under secretary of the Nepal's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

The initiative would be a breakthrough for seamless cross-border movement of vehicles among the countries, which in the future can increase trade and tourism within the region.

According to the World Bank, intra-regional trade accounts for only five percent of South Asia's total trade, compared to 25 percent in ASEAN. The report says South Asia is one of the least integrated regions.

Failure to pull off South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has prompted South Asian countries to mull subregional economic cooperation. But tension within the region such as the Rohingya crisis and the Doklam standoff between China and India are major stumbling blocks to corridors of economic opportunities such as the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.

Officials said if the visa procedures and travel requirements can be made easier, more passengers would feel encouraged to use the bus service.

Government representatives of Bangladesh, India and Nepal launched the tri-nation trial bus service in Dhaka on Monday. Two buses from Dhaka set off for Kathmandu and would transit through Siliguri. The bus service is being tested under the Motor Vehicle Agreement signed in June 2015 as part of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) initiative of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation. The journey will not cover Bhutan as the country requires a parliamentary nod to ratify the motor vehicle agreement. Bhutan however, has asked the three countries to go ahead with the bus service. The buses would travel 1,200 kilometres over the next three days and arrive at Kathmandu on April 26, said Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation. "Our journey today would survey how we can make things easy for passengers in the future. All the three countries will work together so that this route can be made feasible," Bhuiyan told WION. Some passengers feared that the long journey could become a disincentive for travellers. Officials said if the visa procedures and travel requirements can be made easier, more passengers would feel encouraged to use the bus service. A passenger protocol will be signed later in Delhi by the transport secretaries of the respective countries but a date has not been fixed yet. There will also be discussion about protocols for cargo vehicles. "Protocols normally provide the visa procedures, technical specifications of the buses, how the buses will run after getting route permits, driver license and travel documents and passenger documents that would be required," said Govinda Prasad Kharel, under secretary of the Nepal's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. The initiative would be a breakthrough for seamless cross-border movement of vehicles among the countries, which in the future can increase trade and tourism within the region. According to the World Bank, intra-regional trade accounts for only five percent of South Asia's total trade, compared to 25 percent in ASEAN. The report says South Asia is one of the least integrated regions. Failure to pull off South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has prompted South Asian countries to mull subregional economic cooperation. But tension within the region such as the Rohingya crisis and the Doklam standoff between China and India are major stumbling blocks to corridors of economic opportunities such as the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.

Dhaka-Siliguri-Kathmandu bus service goes on trial

One of Bangladesh's top female cricketers could be jailed for life after being caught with 14,000 methamphetamine pills, police said today.

Nazreen Khan Mukta, who plays first-grade cricket in the Dhaka Premier League, was returning from a match in the southeastern city of Cox's Bazar when police stopped and searched the team bus at Chittagong.

"During our search, we caught her with 14,000 yaba pills she had kept in packets," local police chief Pronob Chowdhury told AFP, using the local name for tablets of methamphetamine mixed with caffeine.

Chowdhury said the Ansar VDP star would be charged with drug trafficking, an offence that can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Cox's Bazar borders Myanmar's conflict-plagued Rakhine state, where authorities say methamphetamine labs produce tens of millions of yaba pills that are shipped to Bangladesh.

Officials this month said drug traffickers had been more active since August when nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar began pouring into Bangladesh.

Gangs have been using the Rohingya refugees as mules and hiding drugs in fishing boats used for ferrying the persecuted Muslims to safety.

Authorities said last month that nine million yaba pills were seized in less than three months as the refugee influx reached its peak. Nearly two million were discovered in a single haul.

Dhaka has been planning to introduce the death penalty for yaba trafficking to try to curb the drug's popularity and use.

Bangladesh in 2017 seized more than 40 million pills, double the previous year's haul.

One of Bangladesh's top female cricketers could be jailed for life after being caught with 14,000 methamphetamine pills

One of Bangladesh's top female cricketers could be jailed for life after being caught with 14,000 methamphetamine pills, police said today. Nazreen Khan Mukta, who plays first-grade cricket in the Dhaka Premier League, was returning from a match in the southeastern city of Cox's Bazar when police stopped and searched the team bus at Chittagong. "During our search, we caught her with 14,000 yaba pills she had kept in packets," local police chief Pronob Chowdhury told AFP, using the local name for tablets of methamphetamine mixed with caffeine. Chowdhury said the Ansar VDP star would be charged with drug trafficking, an offence that can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Cox's Bazar borders Myanmar's conflict-plagued Rakhine state, where authorities say methamphetamine labs produce tens of millions of yaba pills that are shipped to Bangladesh. Officials this month said drug traffickers had been more active since August when nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar began pouring into Bangladesh. Gangs have been using the Rohingya refugees as mules and hiding drugs in fishing boats used for ferrying the persecuted Muslims to safety. Authorities said last month that nine million yaba pills were seized in less than three months as the refugee influx reached its peak. Nearly two million were discovered in a single haul. Dhaka has been planning to introduce the death penalty for yaba trafficking to try to curb the drug's popularity and use. Bangladesh in 2017 seized more than 40 million pills, double the previous year's haul.

Bangladeshi cricketer charged with drug trafficking

The hapless, homeless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have another challenge at hand, protecting themselves from a drug trap. An exclusive DNA report brings to light how the poor and traumatised ethnic minority is fast falling prey to drug mafia.&nbsp;

Several Rohingya families were enlisted by the international drug mafia as they fled from Myanmar into the neighbouring nation. For many Rohingyas, agreeing to carry drugs can aptly be described as a desperate move to get out of Myanmar.&nbsp;

Rashid Alam sneaked into Bangladesh in September 2017 and was living at a refugee camp at Teknaf, Cox Bazar. In December, he was caught with 3,5000 Yaba tablets. He told the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) that he fell into the hands of touts who promised to bring his family and relatives safely out of Myanmar and provide them with a job in Bangladesh.&nbsp;

30-year-old Alam hails from of Dongkhali, and like many belonging to the ethnic group, he harbours hope of meeting his family someday.

The report suggests many women, men and teenagers have become drug mules for the international drug mafia. It is easy to lure them as they live in despicable conditions in refugees camps spread across Cox Bazar. All they have to do is carry the 'madness drug' over the border to India or distribute it within Bangladesh.

Over 11.5 lakh Rohingyas are estimated to live in Bangladesh, close to the Myanmar border. While a new settlement is built almost every day to accommodate them, a fresh group of refugees pour in from Myanmar almost every day.&nbsp;

The huts, spread over kilometres, are concentrated at two major camps at Kutupalong and Balukhali. Nearly four to five people share a hut which has room for just one person. The refugees take turns to sleep.

The food and other essential aid provided to the refugees from various NGOs and the United Nations High Commissioner is barely adequate for the swelling numbers.

In such a situation, the refugees become an easy prey and fall for the touts luring them with a promise of sending them to their motherland or securing employment in other countries.&nbsp;

"The smuggling of Yaba tablets has increased manifold since last year," Colonel Gazi Md Ahsanuzzaman, acting regional commander of south-east region of BGB told DNA.&nbsp;

"Yaba pills worth Taka 1.25 crore are smuggled per day in Bangladesh earlier it was limited to few lakhs," said Ahsanuzzaman.&nbsp;

The tablets are smuggled from the no-man's land near Gumdhum village in Bangladesh, where the border is plain and porous, and from there to Teknaf.

Last month, BGB seized yaba tablets worth Taka 52 crore from a Rohingya woman. "They carry it in their shoes. Now everybody is suspicious of the Rohingyas. The basic instinct of a person is to work. we cannot keep them idle," said Brigadier General SM Rakibullah, regional director of BGB (Cox Bazar).

In Rakibullah's words, there seems to be no permanent solution to this humanitarian crisis. "They cannot be contained for long. There will be a spill-over, and more will be recruited by the drug mafia," he noted.

As many as 1,49,99,570 Yaba tablets were seized last year. This year 52,97,234 tablets have already been seized till March. Each tablet costs between 450-500 taka.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Several Rohingya families were enlisted by the international drug mafia as they fled from Myanmar

The hapless, homeless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have another challenge at hand, protecting themselves from a drug trap. An exclusive DNA report brings to light how the poor and traumatised ethnic minority is fast falling prey to drug mafia. Several Rohingya families were enlisted by the international drug mafia as they fled from Myanmar into the neighbouring nation. For many Rohingyas, agreeing to carry drugs can aptly be described as a desperate move to get out of Myanmar. Rashid Alam sneaked into Bangladesh in September 2017 and was living at a refugee camp at Teknaf, Cox Bazar. In December, he was caught with 3,5000 Yaba tablets. He told the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) that he fell into the hands of touts who promised to bring his family and relatives safely out of Myanmar and provide them with a job in Bangladesh. 30-year-old Alam hails from of Dongkhali, and like many belonging to the ethnic group, he harbours hope of meeting his family someday. The report suggests many women, men and teenagers have become drug mules for the international drug mafia. It is easy to lure them as they live in despicable conditions in refugees camps spread across Cox Bazar. All they have to do is carry the 'madness drug' over the border to India or distribute it within Bangladesh. Over 11.5 lakh Rohingyas are estimated to live in Bangladesh, close to the Myanmar border. While a new settlement is built almost every day to accommodate them, a fresh group of refugees pour in from Myanmar almost every day. The huts, spread over kilometres, are concentrated at two major camps at Kutupalong and Balukhali. Nearly four to five people share a hut which has room for just one person. The refugees take turns to sleep. The food and other essential aid provided to the refugees from various NGOs and the United Nations High Commissioner is barely adequate for the swelling numbers. In such a situation, the refugees become an easy prey and fall for the touts luring them with a promise of sending them to their motherland or securing employment in other countries. "The smuggling of Yaba tablets has increased manifold since last year," Colonel Gazi Md Ahsanuzzaman, acting regional commander of south-east region of BGB told DNA. "Yaba pills worth Taka 1.25 crore are smuggled per day in Bangladesh earlier it was limited to few lakhs," said Ahsanuzzaman. The tablets are smuggled from the no-man's land near Gumdhum village in Bangladesh, where the border is plain and porous, and from there to Teknaf. Last month, BGB seized yaba tablets worth Taka 52 crore from a Rohingya woman. "They carry it in their shoes. Now everybody is suspicious of the Rohingyas. The basic instinct of a person is to work. we cannot keep them idle," said Brigadier General SM Rakibullah, regional director of BGB (Cox Bazar). In Rakibullah's words, there seems to be no permanent solution to this humanitarian crisis. "They cannot be contained for long. There will be a spill-over, and more will be recruited by the drug mafia," he noted. As many as 1,49,99,570 Yaba tablets were seized last year. This year 52,97,234 tablets have already been seized till March. Each tablet costs between 450-500 taka.

Homeless Rohingya refugees falling into drug trap: Report

A group of 76 Rohingyas, which was rescued from Indonesian waters on Friday, was at the sea for nearly nine days. According to reports, a Rohingya Muslim man, among the rescued, claimed that the group kept drifting in a wooden boat for nine days after leaving Myanmar.

The group is reported to have faced intense persecution in Myanmar. As many as 8 children, 25 women and 43 men were brought ashore on Friday afternoon in Aceh province of Sumatra in Indonesia.&nbsp

This was the third such attempt in a month by the Rohingyas to escape Myanmar by the sea.

According to the local authorities, many from the rescued group suffered dehydration and exhaustion and required medical attention. &nbsp

A man called Fariq Muhammad shared that he had paid a sum equivalent to around $150 to secure&nbspa place on the boat.&nbsp

Myanmar's Rakhine state grapples with a violent military crackdown that triggered an exodus of nearly 700,000 refugees into neighbouring Bangladesh.&nbsp

The group is reported to have faced intense persecution in Myanmar

A group of 76 Rohingyas, which was rescued from Indonesian waters on Friday, was at the sea for nearly nine days. According to reports, a Rohingya Muslim man, among the rescued, claimed that the group kept drifting in a wooden boat for nine days after leaving Myanmar. The group is reported to have faced intense persecution in Myanmar. As many as 8 children, 25 women and 43 men were brought ashore on Friday afternoon in Aceh province of Sumatra in Indonesia. This was the third such attempt in a month by the Rohingyas to escape Myanmar by the sea. According to the local authorities, many from the rescued group suffered dehydration and exhaustion and required medical attention. A man called Fariq Muhammad shared that he had paid a sum equivalent to around $150 to secure&nbspa place on the boat. Myanmar's Rakhine state grapples with a violent military crackdown that triggered an exodus of nearly 700,000 refugees into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugees rescued after drifting at sea for over a week

Congress-led opposition parties today met Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu seeing impeachment of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

Nearly 71 lawmakers have signed the petition that alleges the Chief Justice of misconduct and misbehaviour. The motion will be examined by the Vice President.&nbsp;

The request for Misra's impeachment has sparked a political outcry in the country with the BJP lashing out at the Congress for trying to "demean, degrade and denigrate" the judiciary.&nbsp;

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool.

The impeachment notice comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected a bunch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the death of Judge B H Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

An impeachment motion in the Rajya Sabha has to be supported by at least 50 MPs of the Upper House, while the number of MPs supporting such a motion in the Lok Sabha is 100.

Once the notice of impeachment is submitted to the Rajya Sabha chairman, he&nbsp;will ascertain whether there is merit or ground for moving such a motion.

In case he finds merit a committee can be formed to look into the matter, else the motion can be simply rejected.

While the final word on CJI Misra's impeachment is yet to be pronounced, here is a quick look at the incidents of impeaching Chief Justices in some of the neighbouring South Asian countries.

Bangladesh

The Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict last year, declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment that empowered its parliament to impeach apex court judges.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka

The ruling coalition in the year 2012 moved a resolution to impeach the country’s chief justice, Shirani Bandaranayake.&nbsp;

Early in the year 2013, the Sri Lankan parliament debated the impeachment motion against Bandaranayake removing her from office on 13 January 2013.&nbsp;

She was reinstated into her office by President Maithripala Sirisena.&nbsp;

Nepal

On 30 April, two ruling parties of Nepal -- the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) -- moved an impeachment motion alleging that the Chief Justice had encroached on the prerogatives of the executive branch.&nbsp;

UN rights chief called the impeachment motion "an assault on human rights". “I urge the Nepal authorities to respect the independence of the judiciary, to withdraw what appears to be a politically motivated impeachment motion and to commit to the processes of transitional justice and accountability,” said the top UN human rights official.&nbsp;

If the impeachment motion against Misra is moved it will be the first time ever in the country's history.&nbsp;

While the final word on CJI Misra's impeachment is yet to be pronounced, here is a quick look at the incidents and the protocol of impeaching Chief Justices in some of the neighbouring South Asian countries

Congress-led opposition parties today met Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu seeing impeachment of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. Nearly 71 lawmakers have signed the petition that alleges the Chief Justice of misconduct and misbehaviour. The motion will be examined by the Vice President. The request for Misra's impeachment has sparked a political outcry in the country with the BJP lashing out at the Congress for trying to "demean, degrade and denigrate" the judiciary. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool. The impeachment notice comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected a bunch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the death of Judge B H Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. An impeachment motion in the Rajya Sabha has to be supported by at least 50 MPs of the Upper House, while the number of MPs supporting such a motion in the Lok Sabha is 100. Once the notice of impeachment is submitted to the Rajya Sabha chairman, he will ascertain whether there is merit or ground for moving such a motion. In case he finds merit a committee can be formed to look into the matter, else the motion can be simply rejected. While the final word on CJI Misra's impeachment is yet to be pronounced, here is a quick look at the incidents of impeaching Chief Justices in some of the neighbouring South Asian countries. Bangladesh The Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict last year, declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment that empowered its parliament to impeach apex court judges. Sri Lanka The ruling coalition in the year 2012 moved a resolution to impeach the country’s chief justice, Shirani Bandaranayake. Early in the year 2013, the Sri Lankan parliament debated the impeachment motion against Bandaranayake removing her from office on 13 January 2013. She was reinstated into her office by President Maithripala Sirisena. Nepal On 30 April, two ruling parties of Nepal -- the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) -- moved an impeachment motion alleging that the Chief Justice had encroached on the prerogatives of the executive branch. UN rights chief called the impeachment motion "an assault on human rights". “I urge the Nepal authorities to respect the independence of the judiciary, to withdraw what appears to be a politically motivated impeachment motion and to commit to the processes of transitional justice and accountability,” said the top UN human rights official. If the impeachment motion against Misra is moved it will be the first time ever in the country's history.

Incidents of impeachment: A quick look at some South Asian nations

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