Achievements that can be learnt from Bangladesh
About a year back the Economist had an editorial piece titled “Out of the basket” and subtitled “Lessons from the achievements – yes, really, achievements – of Bangladesh.” The more in-depth piece that followed appeared somewhat bemused at how a country once labeled a ‘test case for development’ could have made such striking gains in development outcomes over the past two decades (see table 1). These gains were hard to reconcile amidst Bangladesh’s natural and Rana Plaza-type disasters, volatile politics and unfavorable rankings on governance indicators – themes which the Economist has often covered before, and after, this “achievements” piece.
Bangladesh key economic indicators – Dec 3
DAILY INDICATORS
Monday Previous Taka/US $ (inter-bank) 77.75-77.75 77.75-77.75 Call money rate (inter-bank) 06.00-07.75 05.50-07.75 Dhaka Stock Exchange index 4,197.92 4,147.21 ------------------------------------------------------------
MONTHLY
CURRENT PREVIOUS Growth in: Consumer price index (BBS) Change yr/yr (pct) Oct. 7.03 7.13
M2 supply (bln taka) (BB) Sept. 6,267.23 6,199.89 Forex reserves ($bln)(BB) Nov. 17.11 17.35
Exports(FOB) ($mln)(BB) Sept. 2,590.24...
Thai police no longer use force to defend protesters
Thai police have allowed opposition protesters through barricades outside the government and metropolitan police headquarters, sharply easing tensions after two days of violent clashes aimed at ousting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The reason for the sudden thaw in hostilities on Tuesday was not immediately clear but it came after police said they would no longer use force to defend their Bangkok headquarters from thousands of anti-government protesters who marched on the high-profile target.
Demonstrators were allowed to approach the perimeter fence of Government House with no resistance from security forces. Dozens of protesters also streamed into the police building where they were seen shaking hands with officers.
...
Old India-Bangladesh passport regime to end
The 41-year-old India-Bangladesh passport regime in the Northeast and in West Bengal came to an end on Sunday following an instruction by the Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to the concerned state governments.
Those who have been already a passport under the old system will be able to use it until the expiration date. This special passport, which allowed travel to Bangladesh with a locally issued visa, was introduced after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 for the easy movement of people between the two countries, reports TNN.
The passport was issued by the northeastern state governments with the consent of the regional passport offices in Kolkata, and the people of West Bengal and the Northeast could apply for ...
India concerned over Bangladesh buying submarines from China
India is concerned with Bangladesh’s decision to order to buy two submarines from China. There are also indications that Chinese submarines have been sneaking into Indian territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal undetected. These developments have led to the Eastern Naval Command seeking more presence in the Bay of Bengal region.
“Why would Bangladesh need submarines? This decision by the government there and the ongoing strife in the country is a matter of concern for us. We also suspect that Chinese submarines are sneaking into Indian territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal region, though none has been detected as yet. This is reason enough for greater naval presence in the region. At the moment, India isn’t really prepared fo...
Rohingya refugees fear humanitarian access to disappear
Limited humanitarian access continues to have an adverse effect on the lives of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in southeastern Bangladesh. Aid workers and activists say Rohingya communities fear that what little support they have might disappear as a result of threats made by the Bangladeshi government to further limit humanitarian activities.
“When we hear the humanitarians might leave I feel really bad. Whatever [medical] treatment and support we get, we wouldn’t get it anymore,” said Munrul Indrus, a Rohingya employee of an international humanitarian organization in the Cox’s Bazar area, who declined to give his real name. “At least now we have a latrine and running water and some [medical] treatment - none of th...
