Deadly clashes in Bangladesh jute-mill, kills one

One man was killed in clashes between police and jute-mill workers in the port-city of Chittagong on Thursday, over delayed payment of wages.

Police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse about 400 workers who went on a rampage at the state-run jute firm.

Officials at the mill were not available for comment.

"One man died of beating while 30 others were brought here with various injuries including rubber bullet wounds," said a doctor.

> Related news from BBC: Deadly jute protest in Bangladesh

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News via Reuters

Bangladesh gifts Buddha's relic

The small Buddhist community in Bangladesh has gifted a few strands of a lock of hair said to have come from the Buddha to Sri Lanka as a goodwill gesture, an official said yesterday.

"The gift of Buddha's hair will raise friendship and goodwill between the two countries," Ajit Ranjan Barua of the Bangladesh Buddhist Association told DPA.

Bangladesh’s interim Foreign Minister Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury handed over the sacred hair relic to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama at a religious ceremony in Chittagong.

News via Earth Times, Ceylon Daily News

Bangladesh detains 10 from Myanmar

Dhaka (Reuters) - Bangladesh security forces have detained 10 Myanmar nationals for suspected involvement with kidnapping of two Bangladeshi staff working for a Danish development agency (Danida), police said on Saturday.

Abductors released one of the staff on Thursday and some 500 troops with sniffer dogs were scouring dense forests on Saturday to rescue the other. Mohammad Hanif, a driver for Danida, was released at a remote forest near Thanchi township in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) adjacent to Tripura and Mizoram, eastern states of India and Arakah (Rakhaine) state in western Myanmar.

Tribal insurgents seeking autonomy for the 14,000 sq km CHT fought a guerrilla war against Bangladeshi authorities from 1973 until 1997, when a peace deal was struck.

The majority of the 3,000-strong Shanti Bahini rebels surrendered their arms, but a dissident group opposed to the deal melted into the jungle and turned to criminal activities, including kidnappings.

Ericsson to supply broadband-technology to BBTS

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) EDA technology has been selected by Broad Band Telecom Services Ltd, (BBTS) a leading internet service provider in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Ericsson's solution will enable BBTS to offer high bandwidth and quality for the delivery of a range of future broadband services. Under the contract, Ericsson is responsible for the supply, installation, commissioning and testing of EDA 1200 IP-DSLAM. The first installation phase is expected to be completed in August 2007.

Mirza Salman Ispahani, Managing Director, BBTS, says: "In Chittagong there is a huge opportunity to offer enhanced broadband services to both business and residential users.

Ericsson's solution meets our demand because it is simple, has modular architecture that helps grade our services during deployment and represents state-of-the-art technologies."

About BBTS
Broad Band Telecom Services Ltd (BBTS) is a rapidly-growing internet service provider in Bangladesh, based in Chittagong. It is part of the Ispahani Group, a well-known brand in the country.

BBTS has been providing the city of Chittagong with internet services since September 2002.

About Ericsson's EDA solution
Ericsson's industry-leading EDA solution has been supporting high-bandwidth-demanding services, with advanced quality-assurance mechanisms for demanding video applications since 2002.

As the most scalable IP-DSLAM solution on the market, Ericsson EDA allows operators to develop their businesses beyond basic IP connectivity, ensuring the ability to offer triple-play services to home and office environments in a way that is cost efficient.

Ericsson EDA is the most widely deployed IP-DSLAM solution globally, with more than 90 networks deployed to date.

News via Newsdesk

Sheikh Hasina's empathy

In a statement read out by her spokesperson Sajeda Chowdhury in Dhaka today, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina has expressed her sorrow at the loss of lives in Chittagong, due to the landslides.


She said, "I am empathetic at the loss of lives, and feel that, my basic rights are being restricted by the interim administration; by not allowing me to visit the affected area."

Death toll rises after more rain hits Bangladesh

Reuters, The Associated Press
Published: June 12, 2007




Chittagong, Bangladesh: Heavy rain caused further havoc Tuesday in this port city, with at least 107 people dead and scores more missing after the biggest storm to hit the country in years, officials said.

The flooding was so extensive in Chittagong, a city of nearly five million, that survivors were having difficulty finding dry ground to bury the dead, officials said.

The annual monsoon rains have spread across Bangladesh in the past few days, the heaviest recorded in seven years, and have inundated parts of the capital, Dhaka, and other regions of the country.

At least 15 people were killed, disaster management officials said, including eight who were struck by lightning in Cox's Bazar, 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, from Chittagong.

News via IHT