04-03-2022

Friday, dhaka: March 4, 2022; Falgun 19, 1428 Bs; rajab 30, 1443 hijri
Ukraine defense lines are holding : Zelenskiy
ambassadors of 10 countries have visited Bhasan Char of noakhali to observe the situation of
rohingyas.
Photo : Manik Bhuiyan
Ambassadors
visit Bhasan Char
refugee camp as
observers
Manik Bhuiyan, noakhali CorresPondent
Top diplomats of 10 countries visited
Bhasanchar yesterday to observe the
plight of the displaced Myanmar nationals.
They reached Bhasanchar by helicopter.
The visiting diplomats are Canadian
High Commissioner Lily Nichols,
European Union Ambassador and Head
of Delegation Charles Whiteley, German
Ambassador Echim Thurster, Charge
d'Affaires of the USA Helen LaFave,
Ambassador of Korea Lee Jang Kang,
Ambassador of the Philippines,
Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador
of Denmark Winnie Estrup Petersen and
Ambassador of Italy Enrico Nunziata.
At the same time, a delegation from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh
was also present. They will exchange views
with Rohingya members of different ages
on their facilities, living standards and
overall situation in Bhasanchar.
Officer-in-charge of Vasarchar police station
(OC) Rafiqul Islam said "the ambassadors
were inspecting the activities of various
projects and development agencies. We
are responsible for their safety." Refugee
Relief and Repatriation Commissioner
(RRRC) Govinda Chakma, who is in charge
of the Bhasanchar Rohingya camp, said
"ambassadors from 10 countries had come
to Bhasanchar to monitor the situation of
Rohingyas. They landed on the helipad by
helicopter. They visited different clusters
and talked to Rohingyas."
On August 25, 2017, the Rohingya took
refuge in Bangladesh as a result of torture
by the Myanmar army. In order to cope
with the pressure of Rohingyas in such a
situation, the government took initiative to
relocate one lakh Rohingyas to Bhasanchar
in Noakhali.
Ensure research knowledge
for wellbeing of people: PM
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
on Thursday urged the researchers to
ensure that the practical use of their
research knowledge is for the wellbeing of
the country's people, reports UNB.
"The practical application of your
invented knowledge should be for the
welfare of the people. So, I also want to
see what would be the impact of the
research you are doing now," she said.
The prime minister this while conferring
'Bangabandhu Science and
Technology Fellowship,' 'NST Fellowship'
and special research donation among
teachers, scientists, researchers and science
students of different universities and
research institutes.
The Science and Technology Ministry
arranged the ceremony at Osmani Smriti
Auditorium, while the PM joined the
event virtually from her official residence
Ganobhaban.
On her behalf, Science and Technology
Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman handed
over the cheques of the fellowships and
donations to them.
Sheikh Hasina said the fourth industrial
revolution (4IR) is now knocking at the
doors. "So, we'll have to create skilled
manpower for it (4IR). We've been assisting
you (researchers and students) keeping
it in mind. We want the people of the
country to get assistance from you," she
added. Noting that the fellowships and
research donations are provided from the
government's revenue fund, she said,
"You, those who are getting the fellowships
will have to work hard for the
national development with utmost
responsibility."
The prime minister said the world is
marching forward with new inventions in
technology. "We'll have to cope with its
pace (the pace of the rapidly changing
world)," she added.
Senior Secretary of Science and
Technology Ministry Ziaul Hasan delivered
the welcome speech.
This year a total of 4,182 cheques of
Bangabandhu Fellowship, NST
Fellowship and special research donation
have been disbursed.
Hasina said her government has been
giving the utmost importance to application
and expansion of locally-innovated
technology.
"Since we'd given the most importance
to agricultural research, our food production
increased and Bangladesh attained
the sufficiency in food production for the
first time in 1998," she said.
Noting that Bangladesh could not
attain food-sufficiency without research,
she put emphasis on the science research,
particularly medical science research.
"Our research on medical science is
fewer. So, I am giving importance here
that we'll have to conduct the research in
a larger way here," she said.
The PM said her government gave the
utmost importance to research after
assuming power in 1996 and established
science and technology universities, agriculture
university, medical university,
marine science research institute,
biotechnology institute and novotheatre
(planetarium).
Back to power again in 2009, her government
established a total of 23 public
universities and 54 private universities,
she said.
Having 'Joy Bangla' as the national slogan
is a big achievement:
Sheikh Hasina said 'Joy Bangla' got
recognition as the national slogan as per
the High Court's order.
Guterres hopes Bangladesh to continue
support to UN peace operations
DHAKA : United Nations Secretary
General Antonio Guterres has highly
praised the role of Bangladeshi peacekeepers
in the UN Missions and hoped
that the country would continue to provide
more troops to fulfill UN's future
needs in this regard.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen
who met Guterres at the UN headquarters
recently, requested the SG to appoint
more Bangladeshi nationals at the highlevel
positions of the UN peace operations,
and also in the position of SRSG
(Special Representative of Secretary
General) in various UN political missions
across the world.
The Foreign Minister briefed the SG
about the current situation of the forcibly
displaced Myanmar nationals and
sought UN's help to repatriate all
Rohingyas to Myanmar.
The Secretary General highly appreciated
Bangladesh's generosity for sheltering
1.1 millions Rohingyas and reiterated
UN's support for returning the forcibly
displaced Rohingyas to their homeland
in Myanmar.
The SG also applauded Bangladesh's
extraordinary socio-economic development
under the visionary leadership of
the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
hoped that Bangladesh would continue
to achieve more successes in the coming
years, particularity in attaining the SDGs,
said the Bangladesh Mission at the UN.
The Foreign Minister also requested
the SG to appoint more Bangladeshi
nationals at the high-level positions of
the UN peace operations, and also in the
position of SRSG (Special Representative
of Secretary General) in various UN
political Mission across the world.
Dr Momen thanked Guterres for meeting
him despite his busy schedule due to
current Ukraine crisis.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister held a
meeting with Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, the
newly appointed Special Envoy of the
Secretary General on Myanmar, who is
currently visiting New York.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister
requested Heyzer to engage with all
stakeholders including the regional
countries to find a durable solution to the
Rohingya crisis, particularly by creating a
conducive environment in Rakhine state
so that the Rohingyas can return to their
homes in safety, security and dignity.
He briefed the special envoy on the
steps taken by the Bangladesh government
to prevent spread of COVID in
Rohingya camps, to provide Myanmarcurriculum-based
education to Rohingya
children in the camps, among others.
He also referred to the new accommodation
facility in Bhashan char for
100,000 Rohingya and informed Heyzer
that the Rohingya relocated there will
have the opportunity to engage in livelihood
activities.
The Foreign Minister said, in the
absence of any hope for return to their
homeland, the Rohingyas increasingly
have been getting involved in illicit and
criminal activities.
He invited Heyzer to visit Cox's Bazar
camps and Bhashan char at her earliest
convenience.
The Special Envoy expressed her deepest
gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina for providing shelter to the
Rohingya when they fled Myanmar in
2017 and commended her for her compassion
and leadership.
BORODYANKA : Russia's invasion of
Ukraine entered its second week on
Thursday with its main assault force
halted north of the capital Kyiv and several
cities enduring heavy Russian
bombing.
The humanitarian crisis also worsened,
with more than one million
refugees now having fled Ukraine, the
United Nations said.
Hundreds of Russian soldiers and
Ukrainian civilians have been killed
since President Vladimir Putin sent his
troops over the border last Thursday.
Russia itself has been plunged into isolation
never before experienced by an
economy of such size.
Despite an initial battle plan that
Western countries said was aimed at
swiftly toppling the Kyiv government,
Russia has captured only one Ukrainian
city so far - the southern Dnipro River
port of Kherson, which its tanks entered
on Wednesday.
Russia has shifted tactics, escalating
its bombardment of major cities.
Swathes of central Kharkiv, a city of 1.5
Purchase capacity
increased three times
in 13 years: Hasan
DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday
said the purchase capacity of the countrymen
has increased three times in the last 13
years while the per capita income has
increased about four and a half times.
"The prices of commodities in
Bangladesh are much lower compared to
India, Europe and the United States. The
prices of commodities gradually increase
in the world and never go down. We have
to see whether the purchasing capacity of
the people is increasing with the prices of
commodities," he said.
The minister added: "The per capita
income of the people has increased about
four and a half times in the last 13 years
and the purchase capacity of low income
people has increased about three times."
Hasan stated these while replying to a
query of the reporters at Jatiya Press
Club (JPC) in the capital.
Earlier, the minister addressed a function
to distribute 'Rafiqul Haque
Dadubhai Smriti Padak' organized by
'Chander Hut', at JPC auditorium.
He said earlier there was a demand
that the daily wage of labourer should be
equal to the price of three and a half kilograms
of rice. And now, a labour is getting
wages equal to 12 to 15 kilograms of
rice, which means the purchase capacity
has increased, he added.
Replying to another query over an allegation
of obstruction in BNP's rallies by
police, the minister urged BNP leaders
including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
to stop their infighting in different meetings
before raising any allegation against
the government.
He said earlier BNP organized programmes
across the country smoothly to
send Begum Khaleda Zia abroad. "In
some meetings, they (BNP) were
engaged in fighting among themselves.
Even, they observed their declared programmes
some days ago. There were no
problems. We want that they would carry
out their programmes peacefully and it is
needed in a democratic society. But,
police have to take steps to stop them if
they create any disturbance in the life of
the people during the rallies or chaos or
fight themselves," he added.
million people, have been blasted into
rubble.
Mariupol, the main port of eastern
Ukraine, has been surrounded under
President Zelenskiy
heavy bombardment, with no water or
power. Officials say they cannot evacuate
the wounded. The city council compared
the situation to the World War
Two siege of Leningrad.
A second round of peace talks
Russia-Ukraine war
28 crew of stranded
Bangladeshi vessel
call for help
DHAKA : Left devastated by the death
of a fellow sailor before their eyes, 28
surviving Bangladeshi crews of the illfated
ship are making desperate calls
for evacuation from the port of Olvia in
war-torn Ukraine, reports UNB.
The video calls for help got louder on
Thursday, a day after Md. Hadisur
Rahman, third engineer of Bangladesh
Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel
Banglar Samriddhi, were killed in a
rocket attack on Wednesday.
The stranded crew members have
sent video messages through social
media seeking help to their loved ones
in Bangladesh from the war-torn
region.
In a 27-second video, a sailor Rabiul
Alam said, "I am the second engineer of
Banglar Samriddhi. Our ship came
under a rocket attack and we lost one of
our crew members. We are now running
on emergency power supply as
there is no power in the ship. We are on
the verge of death."
"We have not been rescued yet.
Please save us. We did not get help
from anyone. Save us," he cried.
Another crew Asiful Islam called for
their immediate rescue through a video
saying that the information that they
were going to a safer place was incorrect.
Bangladesh Shipping Corporation
(BSC) Executive Director Pijush Dutta
told UNB on Thursday that 28 crew
members, including two women, are
currently on board the vessel stranded
in the Ukrainian port after a rocket
attack on Wednesday.
So far, no assistance has been
received yet to rescue them safely.
However, it is known that the other
crew members on the ship are unhurt
and doing well, he added.
between Ukrainian and Russian delegations
was due to begin in Belarus at
about 1400 GMT, Ukrainian negotiator
Davyd Arakhamia said.
Kyiv plans to open by discussing
humanitarian corridors. A first round of
talks on Monday led to no breakthroughs.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr
Zelenskiy has stayed in Kyiv, releasing
regular video updates to the
nation. In his latest message, he said
Ukrainian lines were holding. "We
have nothing to lose but our own freedom,"
he said.
Britain's defence ministry said the
main body of the huge Russian column
advancing on Kyiv was still 30 km (19
miles) from the city centre, delayed by
Ukrainian resistance, mechanical
breakdown and congestion.
"The column has made little discernible
progress in over three days.
Despite heavy Russian shelling, the
cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and
Mariupol remain in Ukrainian hands,"
it said in an intelligence update.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in
Dhaka on Thursday said the Russian
side "bends every effort" to ensure safe
departure of the Bangladeshi ship
stranded in a Ukrainian port.
The Command of the Armed Forces
of the Russian Federation, relying on
the objective monitoring data, has
repeatedly stated that, during the
retreat, the Ukrainian nationalists open
indiscriminate fire and deliberately
capture hostages, use them as a
"human shield", resorting to the wellknown
terrorists' tactic, said the
embassy.
"The ship caught fire at 9.25pm
(Bangladesh time, 5.25pm in Ukraine)
as the rocket struck its bridge. The crew
members were able to tame the flames
immediately. But Hadisur,47, lost his
life," said Captain Md Anam
Chowdhury, president of the
Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers'
Association.
Amid the worrying development in
Ukraine, Banglar Samriddhi got stuck
at the Port of Olvia, located in the
Mykolaiv region on the left bank of the
Dnipro-Bug estuary on the northern
Black Sea coast.
Banglar Samriddhi had been
anchored at the port before the Russian
invasion began on February 24, Omar
Faruque Tuhin, a crew member of the
ship, told UNB over the phone on
February 27.
Banglar Samriddhi, now caught in
the fighting in Ukraine, reached Olvia
on February 22 to load ball clay,
according to the BSC.
As the conflict between Ukraine and
Russia escalated, the BSC cancelled the
plan and asked the master of the vessel
to make his way towards international
waters.
relatives of
hadisur
rahman, who
was killed in a
rocket
attack on the
Bangladeshi
ship 'MV
Banglar
samriddhi' in
ukraine, are
mourning.
Photo :
star Mail