Trump urges Security Council to take strong and swift action stopping the Rohingya crisis

US President Donald Trump urges UN Security Council to take “strong and swift action” to bring Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis to an end, US vice president Mike Pence said on Wednesday, calling the

violence there a threat to the region and beyond.

Pence, speaking at a Security Council meeting on peacekeeping reform, accused the Myanmar military of responding to militant attacks on government outposts “with terrible savagery, burning villages, driving the Rohingya from their homes.”

Pence repeated a US call for the Myanmar military to end the violence immediately and support diplomatic efforts for a long-term solution.

President Trump and I also call on the Security Council of the United Nations to take strong and swift action to bring this crisis to an end and bring hope and help to the Rohingya people in their hour of need, Pence said.

His remarks were the strongest yet from the US government in response to the violence in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine that began last month and has forced 422,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh, fleeing a military offensive the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing.

Pence called the violence and the “historic exodus” of Rohingya, including tens of thousands of children, a “great tragedy.”

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas had fled in fear of their lives

Bangladesh has extended all possible assistance to the Rohingyas, given the violence and persecution unleashed on the community in Myanmar. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas had fled in fear of their lives from their homeland into Bangladesh. However, the international community has not reacted as it should have to the ethnic cleansing and the genocide being carried out in Myanmar. At the UN Security Council meet on Wednesday, the oppression of the Rohingyas was condemned and a call was made to halt the atrocities. The situation has reached such proportions, that it is not enough to merely condemn and issue statements.

It is clear that the Myanmar government has adopted a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingyas. The Rohingyas are being driven from the country in a planned manner. This is an international crime, according to the UN Charter and other such charters. Already 400,000 Rohingyas had been sheltering in Bangladesh and now another 370,000 or more have been added. It is unfortunate that Bangladesh for no reason at all, it having to bear the burden of this burgeoning number of refugees. And yet here is no effective initiative being taken against Myanmar for this international crime.

As Myanmar has failed to provide its citizens with security and a certain ethnic community is victims of genocide, the international community including the UN must take responsibility to protect them. The Bangladesh government has highlighted the situation to the ambassadors of various countries and heads of international agencies. The international community is well aware of what is taking place there. The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres himself has termed this ‘ethnic cleansing’.

The Myanmar government itself had formed an international commission to look into the problems of the Arakan state. If the recommendations of that commission, headed by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, were followed, then the Rohingya problems would be resolved to a great degree. The international community now must force Myanmar into implementing those recommendations. Bangladesh’s prime minister has proposed a separate safe zone for the Rohingyas. With astute and proper diplomatic handling of the situation, it will not be too difficult to resolve the crisis.

A different Eid festivity celebration

 // Shamsul Basunia //

A very different Eid-ul-Fitr has been celebrated at Rangamati – the area that experienced one of the worst series of landslides in a decade just couple of days earlier leaving 120 people dead in Bangladesh. The district officials have scrapped all their official programs to spend time with the landslide victims who have taken refuge in the local shelter homes. In Sunamganj and Netrokona flush flood damaged the standing corns that are the principal food stuff in those areas. In this way the fervor of Eid festivity on Monday with much enthusiasm and religious fervor has been vaporized this year.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies, including police and Rapid Action Battalion RAB, have taken additional security measures across the country on the occasion to avert any untoward incident. Volatile atmosphere remains in other areas of the globe like Palestine, Mosul of Iraq, many places of Syria, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tens of thousands people became homeless. War-mongers pushed the millions to the peril. The largest Muslim festivity failed to bring happiness and peace to them. Month long fasting visited them but they in most of the cases didn’t enable to achieve piety and heavenly attributes. Hunger, uncertainty, fear of battle and imposed war make them unhappy.

In non-predominant Muslim countries like Britain and France are also spending the days in fear and panic. Militancy engulfs mental peace there.

War on militancy is not running in right direction. US administration has already divided the power of unity in Muslim world that imbued several Middle East countries to take preparation to wage war against Qatar. It is mention-able that the Korean peninsula has become hotbed of war where battle might visit at any time in future.  America always instigates for war there.

জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন || যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের নেতৃত্ব আর কার্যকর থাকছে না

// শামসুল বসুনিয়া //
জি সিভেনের বৈঠকে জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন রোধে প্যারিস চুক্তি কার্যকরের বিষয়ে জোটভুক্ত
 ছয়টি দেশ একমত হলেও, তাদের সঙ্গে ঐক্য জানাতে অস্বীকার করনে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের
প্রেসিডেন্ট ডোনাল্ড ট্রাম্প।ফলে স্বাভাবিকভাবেই এ নিয়ে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের এতদিনকার
নেতৃত্ব আর কার্যকর থাকছে না।
এই ইস্যুতে এখন নেতৃত্ব দেবার জন্য প্রস্তুত হচ্ছে চীন এবং ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়ন।
শুক্রবার ব্রাসেলস সম্মেলনে চীন ও ইইউ এ নিয়ে একটি যৌথ বিবৃতি দিতে যাচ্ছে ।
প্যারিস চুক্তি বাস্তবায়নে সর্বোচ্চ রাজনৈতিক প্রতিশ্রুতির উপর জোর দেয়া হয়েছে
বিবৃতিতে। ধারণা করা হচ্ছে চীন এবং ইইউ এর এই অবস্থান আন্তর্জাতিক
রাজনীতিতে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রকে কিছুটা চাপের মধ্যে ফেলবে।

Suspected Maoist rebels kill 24 troops in Chhattisgarh

// Shamsul Basunia//

Suspected Maoist rebels have killed at least 24 paramilitary soldiers on Monday in a remote part of central India, a police official said, the latest attack in a simmering internal conflict.

The soldiers were guarding road workers in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh state when they came under fire. The rebels fired from hilltops at the group of soldiers, police officer Jitendra Shukla said.

Local media reported that at least six commandos had been critically injured and were being airlifted to safety.

The attack is the latest in a long-running conflict between insurgents and Indian authorities in the forests and rural areas of mainly central and eastern India.

"We have recovered 23 bodies from the spot and one jawan (soldier) died in Raipur during treatment," Anand Chhabra, a senior police officer in restive Chhattisgarh told AFP news agency, referring to the state capital.

Bhagwati Singh, a police spokesman said: "Our teams have been deployed there. We will receive more information about the situation soon."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to the families of the soldiers and expressed his anger in a series of tweets following the raid.

China finances Padma Rail Bridge

// Shamsul Basunia //

China has consented to finance in constructing desired Padma Rail Bridge which pushed the government to rethink in constructing Dhaka-Maowa 4 lane project newly.  It is learnt that the rail bridge would be installed on the multipurpose Padma Bridge but the feasibility was uncertain for many days. However higher officials of the Economic Relations Department ERD recently visited China and received the consent of financing from China government on constructing rail bridge over the dreamt Padma Bridge. The team returned home and informed the consent to Rail Ministry. To start the construction the bridge, the authority already has built three service areas at three districts like Munshiganj, Shariatpur and Madaripur. An amended credit proposal on this already has sent to ERD. Dewan Mohammad Abdul Quader, executive engineer to main bridge project told officials would work main bridge, river governing work under one and two service areas while the army officials would take responsibility of number three service area. On the contrary, Bridges Department already has consented to acquire land for the rail bridge work. Railway Ministry would bear the expense for this, he added. The dreamt Padma Bridge would be opened on 2019 if everything goes on right direction, the concerned officials told. And on the very opening day, the train plying would be started simultaneously. The officials informed Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader that the advancement of bridge constructing work has been completed by 39 percent while the rest of the work would complete within the stipulated time schedule. Brig Gen Hamidul Hoque PSC, Super in-ten dent engineering core of Bangladesh Army and project director to Padma Multipurpose Bridge was present on the occasion. If the bridge built nicely, the people of 21 southern districts of the country would be directly benefitted by financially, socially and politically that would be a tremendous achievement to all people to the country as a whole.

www.thedaailytribunal.net

 blog: http://www.basuniahumanist.blogspot.com

Daughter of beauty ‘Shimul’ disappearing

//Shamsul Basunia//

‘Shimul’ is disappearing day by day for not nurturing and nourishing it carefully. People know it is the only tree which produces cotton to humans and people could able to use it in mattress, cushion where we usually sleep and sit on. It is so important to civilization and day to day life that it always goes on beyond imagination. It beautifies the nature while it blooms and people call it “daughter of beauty”. Reddish and pink color attracts people and it enchants them. Actually the scene informs people that spring comes. People even the agriculture department don’t do anything to preserve the valuable trees. Locals in Sadarpur upazila under Faridpur district alleged a section of political leaders came forward to cut the trees and the beauty of the nature is now nearing to zero. Agriculture department even cotton development board is silent to flourish the product. The elite opined if governments comes forward to protect and preserve the valuable cotton trees the demand of cotton in our country could be met and the balance of ecology could be survived.  ‘And cotton industry could be saved from threat of destruction’, they added.

http://www.basuniahumanist.blogspot.com

Wild Chicken at Garo hill goes on extinction

// Shamsul Basunia //

Wild chicken is going to enlist its name to extinction beings in Bangladesh what might cause imbalance to the ecology, environment and species diversity to the country. Frequent hunting from the indigenous people along with the mainland people the special species is being killed every day at reserved forestry. The department of forestry never ever has shown its curiosity and activity to preserve and protect the wild chicken. It looks like chicken what we usually add for eating at our everyday list of dish.  However it is not bird though it could fly when require need to fly. For saving the existence it always proves it as brave and cunning beings amidst the wild beings living in the forest. People concerned told wild chicken is usually seen in Bangladesh, India, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. In Bangladesh the wild chickens are usually found at hilly areas like Garo hill of Mymensingh and other hilly areas like Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet regions. People have its flesh and eggs to meeting the demand of nutrition. However without discipline and regulation the beings are running the endangered life and the aspirant people every day visit the areas and kill them and pick up the eggs randomly that push the being to extinction, the locals apprehended. The environment specialists opine the special species could be saved if the government comes forward to take rapid action to preserve the wild chicken.

http://www.basuniahumanist.blogspot.com

৫৯ জন কোবরা কমান্ডো পালিয়ে গেছে

ভারত অধিকৃত কাশ্মীর থেকে প্রশিক্ষণ শেষে বিহারে কর্মস্থলে যাওয়ার পথে ৫৯ জন কোবরা কমান্ডো পালিয়ে গেছে।
নকশাল প্রতিরোধ স্কোয়াড কোবরা কমান্ডো। সপ্তাহ পাঁচেকের প্রশিক্ষণ শেষে কাশ্মীর থেকে বিহারের গয়ায় কর্মস্থলে আসছিল তারা। কিন্তু ফেরার পথেই পালিয়ে যাওয়ার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়।
শিয়ালদহ-জম্মু এক্সপ্রেসে করে কমান্ডোরা বিহারে আসছিল। কিন্তু সোমবার রাতে ট্রেনটি মুঘলসরাই স্টেশনে ঢোকার পর, ওই ৫৯ জন জওয়ান পালিয়ে যায়।

India mulling cargo-train plying to Bangladesh

// Shamsul Basunia//

India is pushing for better land connectivity with neighboring Nepal and Bangladesh for effective sub-regional cooperation.Indian government ahead of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposed visit to India either March-end or early-April has asked the state-owned Container Corporation to explore ways to run a cargo train to Bangladesh with an aim to enhance bilateral trade.Bangladesh has emerged as one of India’s closest neighbors after Bhutan and Container Corporation is further exploring ways to run a cargo train to Bangladesh. There are currently three rail links to Bangladesh -- all through West Bengal -- and all of them remain under utilized.Of the three, the Gede,India-Darshana,Bangladesh link, which opened in 2008 offers broad-gauge connectivity to the key consumption centre in Dhaka; it is used to run a passenger train four times a week. The Singhabad,India-Rohanpur,Bangladesh rail link connects northern Bangladesh but not the South. A passenger train -- Maitree Express -- connects Kolkata with Dhaka.A BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation trade logistics study of 2010 pointed out that rail movement can be 30% cheaper than even sea freight which is normally considered the cheapest between the two nations.Railways have had little relevance so far to Indo-Bangladesh trade, which moves mainly on non-containerized trucks.But this situation can be altered and the near-term solution may lie in shifting the cargo from road to rail, as was visualized by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government while connecting Petra pole land port by rail in 2001, according to persons familiar with the developments.Bangladesh is looking to create a dry port or an inter-modal transshipment facility in Bangladesh.India has expressed interest to link Kathmandu with Delhi and Kolkata, using direct railway lines in a bid to strengthen cross-border connectivity and facilitate people movement between the two countries.

Thakurgaon Bazar sits in school ground

// Shamsul Basunia //

Lesson providing activities of two schools named Doulatpur Soleman Multilateral High School and Konpara Government Primary School situated at Khochabarirhat under Jagannathpur sadar upazila of Thakurgaon district go on amidst the bazar in Thakurgaon that mars the environment of education, the sufferers alleged. The bazar usually sits on two days Saturday and Tuesday in a week where tens of hundreds people come and selling and buying activities go on amidst huge hue and cry while the lesson giving activities continue at the two schools. Cattle market and market of fisheries emits bad smell that makes the students impossible to sit in the classes. After over the bazars on following days like on Sunday and Wednesday students and teachers usually come to classes with handkerchief because to avert the bad smell of cow dung and urine along with the wastage of meat and fisheries beside the class rooms. Doulatpur Soleman Multilateral High School and Konpara Government Primary School  locals said the schools started in the reign of the then Pakistan since then nobody uttered a word to shift the bazar as at that time the space was thinly populated. When the two schools and bazars grow in populous way after a certain span of time, the hazards have been surfaced to the people and now it becomes a irritation and place nuisance. Doulatpur Soleman Multilateral High School has been built during the year 1963 at 100 decimals of land while Konpara Government Primary School has been built during the year 1949 at 50 decimals of land. People of these two areas are gentle and they didn’t raise any voice against the nuisance. Over three hundred students male and female are studying in these two schools. When the Daily Tribunal correspondent travelled the spot found actually the teachers and students are suffering untold miseries here. The two educational institutions are situated at the side of local Jagannathpur Union Council office and beside the Thakurgaon-Dinajpur highways. The hue and cry rises when the commodities laden vehicles especially the cattle laden trucks come into the markets. There lies a Central Shaheed Minar beside the two schools at medicine selling hawkers assemble there and begin to shout through microphone that make listening and talking halted. Insiders of the two institutions said in most of the cases the authorities compel to announce schools are over and the students leave the premises without completing the lessons.  Class eight boy Shakhawat Hossain of Doulatpur Soleman Multilateral High School said cattle traders erect bamboo fencing for preserving the cattle at the school field that destroys the atmosphere of playground and that is why we stop playing though we have our own playgrounds. Class seven girl Afroza Begum said the school authorities compel to announce closure of the schools at 12 pm due to the assembling of the markets. Class five student Keya Begum, class four student Kartik Roy and Sumaya under Konpara Government Primary School said they are always got frightened while they walk amidst the cattle market as because the cattle might attack them at any time. Several times the cattle jump over the boys and girls and they become wounded, they added.

Headmaster Ganesh Babu of Doulatpur Soleman Multilateral High School told the bazaar sitting incidence certainly pollutes the education atmosphere. Headmaster Fatema Khanom of Konpara Government Primary School told the cattle spreads panic amidst the boys and girls and most of the learners stopped coming school for fear of attacks them. Jagannathpur UP chairman Alauddin Alal told government earns lot of revenue from the market. However there has scope to shift the markets to elsewhere. If the administration comes to solve the standing problem the atmosphere of the two schools might return to normalcy. UNO Ashraful Islam of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila said no one complains against the market and bazaar so we don’t ever think over the matters. He assured to shift the place of bazaar and markets from the premises of schools after consulting to the superior bosses. http://www.basuniahumanist.blogspot.com  link: www.thedailytribunal.net

75 pc Litchi trees blossom: good Production expected in Natore

// Shamsul Basunia//

The farmers are now happy over the blooming of excellent litchi buds with a hope getting bumper production of the juiciest fruit this season in Gurudashpur, Baraigram, Lalpur, Bagatipara, Singra, Natore Sader, Natore District.

With advent of spring at the eve of departure of the winter, massive litchi blooming has been adequately favorable climate condition and sunny weather now everywhere in the region.

According to the department of Agriculture Extension DAE source, over 75 percent of litchi trees in about 1, 50,000 small, medium, and big sized litchi orchards and in home-stead areas have already bloomed massively in six Upzilla, Natore.

At least 1, 50, 000 farmers of the Gotia, Mohishmari, Bildoher, Pangashia, Singra, Natore, Mahamudpur, Bergangarampur, Juminagar, Nazirpur, Hamlikul, Jhawpara, Gopinathpur, Dudgari, Chandrapur, Dubarpara, Rasidpur, Brikashow, Chapila, Nawpara, Mowkhara, Teltupi, Imaderpara, Raninagar, Bripathuria, Khamarpara, Kumarkhali, Biaghat, Dashtananagar, Gurudashpur, Natore, Bonpara, Mowkhara, Boraigram upzilla, Natore are connected with the cultivation,  preparation and sale of litchi.

Deputy Director, Agriculture Extension DDAE, Natore Rafiqul Islam said to this correspondent, Mahamudpur, Bergangarampur, Juminagar and Nazirpur are main litchi zone in Natore district. Commercial litchi cultivation becomes popular as 50, 000 farmers already achieved self-reliance through farming the fruits in recent years. It is playing a vital role for earning home and abroad money.

The farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding verities like China-3, Bedana, Bomby, Mozaffarpuri and Madrazi and late variety Kanthali litchi on more lands following repeated bumper production and lucrative price.

He suggested the farmers to spray 75 per cent sulphur on litchi trees if mite attack is found following rise in temperature during fruit formation stage after budding from mid March for getting better production.

According to the statistics of the local unit of UAEO and DAE, the total production litchis in the district will 1.75 lakh metric tons.

There are 15 whole sell markets in the district. These are Nazirpur, Mahamudpur, Bergangrampur in Gurudashpur Upzilla, Mowkhara, Bonpara in Baraigram Upzilla, Natore.

The buyers are come to the various parts of the country. They buy litchis and loaded the basket and send to the sells market elsewhere in Bangladesh and abroad.

Litchi growers Md. Mohamad Ali, Ayub Ali, Mahmudpur said, they were expecting bumper litchi yield with good profits this year like in the previous time.  

BD Govt moves to quash 34 murder cases

// Shamsul Basunia // 

Awami League government has taken a renewed initiative to withdraw 206 cases including 34 murder cases, according to the home ministry’s records.During its 2009-13 tenure, the AL-led 14-party alliance government had recommended quashing of as many as 7,198 criminal cases including several sensational murder cases filed during the military-backed caretaker government or BNP-led four-party alliance government.However, the new list includes more than 150 cases that were filed by different government agencies and during the two tenures of AL regime. Some are as new as the ones filed only last year.The ruling party leaders, especially ministers and members of parliament, who recommended withdrawal of the cases, described these cases as  politically motivated ones—a claim that legal experts and human rights activists dismissed expressing their surprise how cases filed by the government agencies could be identified so by government itself.Alarmingly, these cases involved charges of murder, rape, anarchy, bribery, embezzlement of public money, robbery, possession of illegal arms, black marketeering, kidnapping, forgery, theft and possession and use of illegal arms.Upon dissolution of the inter-ministry committee formed earlier to recommend quashing of the cases, more recommendations for withdrawal of the cases came and the home ministry assigned another committee.The new committee’s convener and additional secretary Atiqul Haque said the decision was taken by forming new district level committees and a central committee to deal with such cases.“The terms of reference say the cases that were filed with a motive of political vengeance shall be withdrawn,” he the journalists. When contacted, human rights activist Sultana Kamal asked how a government itself could file politically motivated cases against its own people. “Who filed the politically motivated cases when only this government is in power for quite a number of years? This appears to be contradictory,” she added.She insisted those cases related to murder and rape should in no way be quashed.During 2001-06, the BNP-led alliance government reportedly withdrew 5,888 cases and as a result, 73,541 people managed to avoid trial.When asked about the latest initiative, lawyer Shahdeen Malik said it is absurd that the opposition leaders and workers would be able to file cases against the ruling party men during the tenure of the present government.“This is one step forward in politicizing the justice system. This will further stigmatize the ruling party,” he added.