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Jatka selling goes on despite restrictions

hilsal-fish-300The conservation of ilish continues to be threatened each year by unscrupulous fishermen and traders as well as uninformed consumers – who all defy an annual government ban on catching or selling ilish fry between November and late-June. Visiting different fish markets in Dhaka and Savar in recent days, the Dhaka Tribune found that ilish fry or jatka – which are less than 10 inches in length – were being sold flouting restrictions, with traders claiming that they were able to sell the jatka without facing any go...

Historic March 7 today

Banga-300Today is the historic March 7, a red-letter day in the history of the struggle of people of Bangladesh to liberate the country from the colonial rule of the then West Pakistan. On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a historic speech at the Race Course Maidan, now known as Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka. In his 19-minute speech, Bangabandhu fervently called people: “The struggle this time is for our emancipation, the struggle this time is for our independence.” The whole nation responded spontaneously to his...

Politics in Bangladesh on the boil

THE endgame may have started, but this week it became clear that it will take its time to play out. On February 25th a warrant was issued for the arrest of Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); many people had expected police to haul her in this week. Mrs Zia (pictured in the poster above, to the left) is not only the archenemy of the prime minister, Sheikh BNPHasina; she is also virtually her government’s last standing opponent. Over the past two months, as the confrontation between the two rivals has...

Militancy may rise in blood-stained Bangladesh

As dusk falls on the mango orchards in northern Bangladesh, Zem Ali and about a dozen other men leave their mud-thatched homes to sleep under the stars. The nightly ritual began in January when the body of Motiur Rahman, Ali’s 25-year-old brother, was found riddled with bullets in a pool of blood. He was last seen alive in the hands of the Rapid Action Battalion, an anti-terrorism squad that reports to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. human rights Bangladesh“Anybody can be arrested, anytime,” Ali said from h...

Nadia Sharmeen receives Int’l Award from US

Nadia Sharmeen, a crime reporter at Ekattor TV and women’s rights advocate, will receive an International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award at a ceremony to be held March 5 at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. nadia In observance of International Women’s Day, the IWOC award honors the courage of extraordinary women worldwide who have played transformative roles in their societies. Ms. Sharmeen is the second Bangladeshi woman to earn this prestigious recognition, and she will be honored along with eight other women leaders from across the...

UK Modern Slavery Bill to make difference

Last week saw the UK Modern Slavery Bill pass through Report Stage in the House of Lords (upper chamber of parliament), one of the most important final stages of the Bill and a critical moment for vulnerable trafficked children. father-kids-baby-dad-photoshoot-photos-children-daughter-son-20In what constitutes a landmark step, we were delighted to see child trafficking advocates given legal powers; powers that will allow them to ensure...
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